September is National Service Dog Month and 4 Paws for Ability is proud to continue our mission of placing service dogs with children and veterans with disabilities. This year, we’re set to surpass 2,000 service dogs placed, having touched communities in nearly all 50 states, as well as multiple international placements since 1998.

The month-long observance of these working dogs was created in 2008 by actor and animal advocate Dick Van Patten. Van Patten was inspired to start this initiative after visiting a guide dog training facility where he witnessed firsthand the incredible skills and support these dogs provide. 

National Service Dog Month not only recognizes the invaluable contributions of service dogs but also helps to promote the importance of training programs and the rights of service dog users.

For Heather and Chris, service dog Nova was the solution for their family, and has given their family “peace of mind” ever since.

“She is a constant companion for Megan and has helped her deal with situations we previously never would have attempted,” Megan’s mom Heather says. “We know that if we aren’t in the same room as Megan, Nova is listening and watching for seizure activity even when she looks like she’s asleep.”

4 Paws service dogs are all trained to uniquely serve each family and their unique situation. Our dogs can be trained to master a variety of tasks including tracking for children who may elope and need rescued, high & low blood sugar detection for kids with diabetes, and seizure alert for kids like Megan who are simply in need a safe night’s sleep.

“Nova has never missed a seizure which gives us so much comfort knowing Megan is safe. Megan’s confidence has grown exponentially because Nova gives her confidence.”

Nova’s tasks also include mobility assistance to aid in balance and excels in behavior disruption to de-escalate Megan’s most stressful moments. Heather says “Nothing calms Megan down faster than when Nova does an ‘over’ and in seconds, Megan is laughing again.”

Our mission is supported by our volunteers and staff who take a paws-on approach to our mission everyday, as well as our growing community of donor and monthly inVESTors, all contributing to the countless lives that are enriched with our service dogs.

“Our experience with 4 Paws has given us a level of freedom that we otherwise wouldn’t have like while we were grocery shopping and Megan got overwhelmed. Megan and Nova sat on the floor, Nova did an over, and Megan was able to continue to help shop for groceries,” Heather says.

“Supporting 4 Paws means that kids are matched with dogs that can literally save their lives, but also can make life more fulfilling. We can’t imagine what life would be like without Nova.”