Summit Assistance Dogs

Mission

Summit Assistance Dogs creates life-changing partnerships by providing highly-skilled mobility service dogs for people living with disabilities. The clients we serve have typically sustained a spinal cord injury or are living with neuromuscular conditions such as Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, or Multiple Sclerosis. By assisting with tasks such as retrieving items and opening and closing doors, our dogs help their partners live with greater independence and increased confidence.

Description

Summit serves people in Washington State who could benefit from a partnership with a skilled mobility service dog. Since our founding in 2000, Summit has created more than 100 partnerships. We are committed to providing our dogs free of charge to our clients, as many of them already challenged with high health care costs and sometimes loss of employment. Thanks to the support of many dedicated donors and volunteers, we coordinate the following programs to create life-changing service dog partnerships:

•Puppy Training: We partner with other assistance dog organizations and manage our own breeding program to raise healthy puppies well-suited for service. Our puppies are raised by volunteers in their own homes for their first year, where they receive socialization, basic training, and love. Dogs who pass basic training move into our prison partnership program for intermediate training. Advanced training is completed with our professional trainers, and those dogs that pass all levels graduate as service dogs. Dogs that are paired with a partner have received intensive training, passed vigorous health exams, and graduate knowing up to 60 cues to help their partner in their daily life.

•Prison Partnership: Since 2010, Summit has partnered with the Monroe Correctional Complex, where carefully screened inmates train many of our dogs. Older puppies are placed with inmates for about six months. During that time, our trainers work with the inmates twice a week, honing their dog-training skills. The inmates also learn job skills, social skills, and responsibility. At the end of each session, the dogs that are nearing readiness for placement return to Summit for about 6 months of advanced training with our professional trainers.

•Team Training: Clients who are paired with a trained service dog attend a two-week intensive program to learn about living and working with their new partner. Each team also visits with a staff trainer annually for the life of the dog. Many of our clients live with progressive disabilities, and the dog may need to learn new skills in order to continue to meet the client's needs.

Recognition

GiveBIG is part of the Summit Assistance Dogs' 2024 Unleash Your Love Campaign! Please join us for special activities throughout the campaign to create life-changing partnerships between people and dogs starting May 1st-May 31st. Your support is absolutely instrumental to our ability to train and place highly-skilled mobility assistance dogs with our applicants in a timely manner, at no cost to them. Visit summitdogs.org/unleashyourlove or summitdogs.causevox.com for information about how to become an ambassador and participate in virtual and in-person activities. Thank you for unleashing the full potential of people and dogs by supporting Summit Assistance Dogs!