Pawsitivity Service Dogs
Tom and Julie Coleman were a happily married couple with satisfying careers. But they felt like something was missing in their lives. They wanted to do something to help make the world a better place.
One day, Tom and Julie’s best friend told them about her child with autism. The child’s pet dog had helped the child tremendously, but the child’s mother really wanted a service dog to help her child even more. However, there was no service dog nonprofit in the area that specialized in autism spectrum disorder. Tom and Julie were determined to fill this need. They got the training they needed and started Pawsitivity in 2012. Their original goal was to empower families of children with autism by partnering them with life-changing service dogs.
Through the years, Tom and Julie found themselves working more and more with veteran families because the need was so great. Soon, they shifted their focus to “empowering veterans and their families.”
Training Philosophy
Pawsitivity’s goal is to find the best solution for each particular dog/handler partnership, so we only work one-on-one with clients, rather than teaching classrooms full of people and dogs. We find that this warm, friendly, personalized style is the most effective way to find successful solutions for the complicated lives of veterans with disabilities. Pawsitivity is a full member of Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII) and is committed to positive reinforcement training methods (the same methods the U.S. Army uses).
Services
Pawsitivity trains service dogs for U.S. military veterans and first responders with PTSD and other disabilities. They also train service dogs to help children of veterans and veterans with disabilities who weren’t in combat. They offer a variety of other programs, including:
- Training other service dog providers
- Helping rescues
- Sharing with educators
Certifications
Tom is an American Kennel Club-approved Canine Good Citizen evaluator, and Julie is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed. They both have extensive training in positive-reinforcement force-free training methods.
Julie has a BA in Psychology from Carleton College, a certificate in First Aid and CPR for dogs, and a certificate in Understanding Autism from the University of Kent. She has taken dog-training seminars in person from Dr. Ian Dunbar, Sue Sternberg, and Connie Cleveland, as well as presentations at ClickerExpo.
Both Tom and Julie trained at CATCH Dog Training Academy at the Saint Hubert Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ. They have also studied at the Ranch (Karen Pryor National Training Center) with Ken Ramirez, as well as studied the Volhardt Four-Drive dog assessment theory at Mahogany Ridge in Culpepper, VA.
Julie is the quiet one who trains the service dogs. Tom is the outgoing one who works with the veterans who get the dogs. Both Tom and Julie have Master’s Degrees. Tom has one in Theatre Directing from Northern Illinois University and Julie has one in Art History from the Chicago Institute of Art. Julie has been compared to a Border Collie because she is very organized and precise. Tom is more like a Golden Retriever because he is positive, warm, and a great listener. For better or worse, Julie works on her shyness while Tom always has to work to rein in his enthusiasm.
Tom and Julie are supported by two other part-timers, Ray and Frannie. Ray Nichols is a retired U.S. military veteran. He is a certified Master Dog Trainer by the Catch Canine Dog Training Academy. Frannie Kass is the Education Manager. Frannie is a former Pawsitivity client. She has trained extensively with both dogs and horses. She also runs the Instagram account, “Respect the Lex.”
Specializations
Pawsitivity specializes in training service dogs for veterans with PTSD, missing limbs, no or low vision, deafness, seizures, and more. They also train service dogs to help children of veterans and veterans with disabilities who weren’t in combat.
Training Methods
Pawsitivity uses positive reinforcement training methods, the same methods the U.S. Army uses. They work one-on-one with clients, rather than teaching classrooms full of people and dogs.
Customer Reviews
“I trained with Pawsitivity Service Dogs in 2019 and received the trained service dog, Daniel, an adult black Labrador Retriever, to partner with in support of my PTSD received during combat in my service with the U.S. Army during OIF I and OEF VII.
Pawsitivity not only trained Daniel to meet my needs but trained me as well to work with Daniel, communicate with him, understand my rights and be a responsible and proactive service animal owner. Pawsitivity embodies all of the seven Army core values; especially honor, integrity and selfless service. They are some of the kindest, hardworking and generous folks I have ever had the pleasure of spending time with.
I enthusiastically recommend the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Pawsitivity Service Dogs to veterans who need a service dog.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Pawsitivity for providing us with Toby, our exceptional therapy dog. Toby has had a profound impact on our police department, offering comfort and emotional support during challenging times. His presence has been invaluable in providing relief to both victims and officers during emergencies, helping to strengthen our community. Toby’s gentle and playful demeanor brings joy to everyone he meets. We cannot thank Pawsitivity enough for this wonderful addition to our team and most importantly to our family.
Thank you!”
“As you will see, the impact was substantial and often life-changing.”
- Quote from our independent, third-party Impact Evaluation.
Is Bigger Team
True
Social Media Links
https:
//www.facebook.com/PawsitivityServiceDogs
Media Appearances
