When you think of service dogs, you might picture highly-trained dogs raised from puppies to perform specialized tasks for people who are physically disabled. You might be surprised to learn that service dogs come in many shapes and sizes and provide a wide variety of services. You might be even more surprised to discover that training a service dog is often accomplished by pet parents just like you. Keep reading to discover whether your dog might have what it takes to become a qualified service dog — and whether you have what it takes to be a service dog trainer.

A New Best Friend

Joy and Billy Carr were still grieving the recent loss of their long-time furry companion, Bubba, when a new trial entered their lives: Billy required surgery to remove a brain tumor. Thankfully, the surgery went well, and upon Billy's release from the hospital, the couple knew the time had come to get a new dog. They visited an adoption event in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma that same day. Billy sat down to rest while his wife perused the available pups, and when she returned she found that Billy had already befriended a two-year-old shih tzu mix in a nearby kennel. "The dog was quiet and calm amidst all the chaos of people and barking and crying dogs," says Joy. "Billy asked to see the dog, and by the time I made my way back to him, [they] were already best friends. Sherman was the one. [He] was by Billy's side for the weeks Billy had to stay at home as part of his surgery recovery."

A Born Service Dog

Joy, then a librarian with Tulsa Public Schools, became involved with hosting a donation drive for the Tulsa SPCAin December 2014. During the drive, she learned about the Pets are Love (PAL) program, a volunteer program in which qualified therapy dogs pay visits to residents of assisted living facilities. As she learned about the program requirements, she knew Sherman would be an excellent fit. "Sherman is incredibly social," says Joy. "He loves to meet people! He's also very sensitive to our emotions; he always seems to come to our sides when we are sad or stressed. We thought it might be mutually beneficial for him to be some sort of therapy dog." So she set out to become a service dog trainer.