Working Like Dogs

🐾 How long does it take to train a service dog?

Longer than you might think!

A service dog doesn't simply learn a list of commands. Training involves developing confidence, focus, public-access skills, task work, good judgment, and the ability to work as part of a team. And before a dog ever partners with a person, there can be months or even years of raising, socialization, training, and evaluation.

I've had the opportunity to talk with some wonderful experts about what goes into creating these incredible partnerships.

🎙️ Episode 201: Canine Companions
A look inside one of the organizations that helped establish the service dog movement in the United States and the training and volunteer support behind these life-changing partnerships.

🎙️ Episode 71: Service Dogs from Nose to Tail
Ellen Torop takes us through the journey from breeding and puppy raising to advanced training and placement.

🎙️ Episode 196: Assistance Dogs International
Learn about the standards and accreditation process that help ensure assistance dogs are expertly trained and reliably prepared for their work.

So the next time you see a service dog working, remember: you're seeing the result of an incredible amount of time, patience, training, teamwork, and dedication.

And that journey starts long before the dog ever puts on a working harness. 🐾

Explore these and hundreds of other episodes of Working Like Dogs on Pet Life Radio: https://www.petliferadio.com/workingdogs.html

🐴✨ A horse’s world is far more complex and fascinating than we ever imagined.

Our newest episode features the brilliant Dr. Janet Jones, neuroscientist and author of A Horse’s World: A Neuroscientist’s Journey into the Equine Mind.

Join us as Dr. Jones takes us inside the equine brain and explores how horses think, learn, remember, communicate, and build relationships with humans. Her research offers a beautiful blend of science and wonder—and may forever change the way you see the horses in your life.

Whether you ride, love horses, or simply marvel at the intelligence of animals, you won’t want to miss this conversation. 🐎💫

Listen to the episode now!

Discover more about Dr. Janet Jones: https://janet-jones.com/

What a truly magical evening! ✨

I am so deeply honored and humbled to be recognized as a 2026 New Mexico Humanitarian Award Honoree. 🕊️

The New Mexico Humanitarian Award is all about lifting up the spirit of humanity, a value that guides everything I do every single day. Receiving this award is so much more than a personal milestone for me; it is a celebration of the extraordinary, resilient individuals we serve and the incredible, heart-centered team I am so lucky to work with at La Casa, Inc.

My lifelong passion has been advocating for disability access, honoring and promoting the power of the human-animal bond, and helping agencies build trauma-informed systems that truly welcome everyone.

I felt so grateful to celebrate this special night alongside my wonderful La Casa team, as well as dear community leaders like Kasandra Gandara and New Mexico State Senator Bill Soules. Thank you to everyone who made the evening so memorable, to the award committee, and to all of you for your constant support, encouragement, and love!

Meet the Minis! 🐴 Every great partnership takes time, and Beignet and Romeo are making huge strides in their training journey. Learning new skills step-by-step (and earning plenty of treats along the way)!

🐾 Happy International Assistance Dog Week! 🐾

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year because it's dedicated to celebrating the incredible assistance dogs that change lives every single day.

Many years ago, I had the privilege of helping create International Assistance Dog Week with one simple goal: to recognize these remarkable dogs, the people they partner with, and the trainers, puppy raisers, organizations, and volunteers who make it all possible.

Since then, I've been fortunate to meet and interview hundreds of amazing people through the Working Like Dogs podcast. Every conversation reminds me that assistance dogs do so much more than perform tasks. They build confidence, create independence, open doors, and become trusted partners and beloved friends.

This week, I hope you'll join me in celebrating these incredible teams and thanking everyone who helps make their life-changing work possible.

To every assistance dog, every handler, every trainer, and every advocate...thank you for making the world a little brighter. ❤️🐾

Happy International Assistance Dog Week!

We're getting ready for this year's ! You can get a sneak preview of our campaign by checking out our press release: https://assistancedogsinternational.org/news/2026/07/20/member-news/bettertogether-campaign/. We can't wait to share why our teams and service providers are with ADI.

Sometimes even the helpers need a little help.

If you haven't met Humphrey yet, now is the perfect time!

Meet Humphrey in Episode 206 of the Working Like Dogs podcast on Pet Life Radio, the #1 pet podcast network. In this special episode, I share the inspiration behind Humphrey, the stories that shaped him, and why creating books that celebrate service dogs, kindness, inclusion, and the human-animal bond is so important to me.

Then continue the journey with the Humphrey the Hopeful Helper book series. Follow Humphrey as he discovers that courage comes in many forms, helping others is always worthwhile, and sometimes even the strongest helpers need a little extra care.

I can't wait for you to meet Humphrey and follow his adventures through the book series. With two books available and a third already in the works, there's so much more to come!

🎙 Listen to Episode 206 on Pet Life Radio: https://www.petliferadio.com/workingdogs.html

📘 Bring Humphrey home and follow his adventures on Amazon.

🐾 New episode of Working Like Dogs! 🐾

What does it take to comfort a sailor thousands of miles from home or a veteran carrying invisible wounds? This week I sat down with Brooke Corson, founder of Mutts With A Mission , and her story moved me.

After losing friends in the military to su***de, Brooke turned heartbreak into hope — founding a nonprofit that trains service dogs (at no cost!) for veterans, wounded warriors, law enforcement, and first responders. Her dogs have even made Navy history: Captain Sage became the first dog ever to complete a full deployment aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, and now a whole fleet of six serves sailors at sea! 🐕⚓

🎧 Listen now at petliferadio.com or wherever you get your podcasts.
https://www.petliferadio.com/workingdogs.html

❤️ Learn more & support the mission: muttswithamission.org
💙 This episode touches on military mental health. If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 (veterans press 1). You are never alone.

Humphrey the Hopeful Helper Has a Health Crisis is out in the world now, and I wanted to tell you a little about why I wrote it.

Anyone who's loved a service animal knows the bond goes both ways. Humphrey has always been the helper in this series — guiding, fetching, staying loyal by his girl's side. In this book, he's the one who needs help, and she steps up to care for him the way he's always cared for her. I wanted young readers to see that reflected in a story.

Huge thanks to the incredibly talented Ros Webb | Fashion Illustration and Figurative Art for bringing these characters to life with her illustrations. It's available now on Amazon — I'd be so grateful if you'd take a look, and even more grateful if it finds its way into the hands of a kid who needs it. 🐾

Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/4vVqKEO