My encounter with TADSAW stood in stark contrast to their mission statement. As a veteran seeking support for my dog to become a service animal due to my General Anxiety Disorder, I anticipated empathy and understanding in line with TADSAW's commitment to aiding veterans and their families dealing with mental health challenges.
However, my conversation with Bart Sherwood, Director of TADSAW, deviated sharply from their mission. Despite my attempt to explain the nuances of my condition and distinguish it from panic attacks, I encountered dismissiveness and an unwillingness to acknowledge my experience. This was profoundly disheartening, not just because my perspective as a veteran was disregarded but also because the significance of mental health was minimized. As a Clinical Psychologist, I hold immense respect for the challenges individuals face concerning mental health, and witnessing its dismissal in this interaction was particularly troubling. Bart's insistence on equating different mental health conditions as "semantics" and his refusal to listen to my experiences contradicted the spirit of TADSAW's mission to restore and improve the quality of life for veterans and their families.
In our brief 12-minute exchange, Bart’s approach belied the essence of TADSAW's mission. The lack of empathy and understanding in addressing my needs and condition only served to perpetuate the very stigma TADSAW strives to transform. Veterans, especially those seeking mental health resources, deserve compassion, respect, and a willingness to listen—an aspect that was conspicuously absent in my interaction with the Director of TADSAW.
This non-profit is by far the worst organization to acquire a service animal. The dog I received was evaluated as good fit for a service animal. Not only did I not get a service animal but I got the most aggressive dog and have spent a total of $2500 dollars in training. This organization has completely failed a fellow veteran and the dog. BART should really look into another line of business and stop taking advantage of people with disabilities.
I think this organization should be checked out. They promised us a year training for our child then at the last minute the trainer backed out by refusing to meet at the times discussed prior. When I tried to talk to Bart he offered zero help then tried to twist it on us saying we refused to meet at the only time she offered 9am on a monday .. for a school aged child who lives 2 hours away. Why make promises to a child to only rip them away for no reason? Sounds super shady to us. We reported them to the BBB.
Horribly poor structure and management by Bart, the director of this program. I was very excited about being a trainer for this seemingly great program and giving back. Unfortunately, it is my belief that this is a personal racket being ran at the expense of our great men and women veterans. For every poor rating, I can attest to the truth of these comments through my own personal experiences. Anyone, with no regard to background or merit can be a "trainer". There is no set structure for this and I believe that it has grown into a pure fund rising program. It is my hope that this will aid in some sort of review.
My trainer was awesome! If it were not for this program, I would not have been able to have my dog trained by a professional. I was very involved and engaged in my dogs training, she alerted me 4 times before her training was even complete. I will say that you need to be proactive and don't expect to have a trained dog given to you, it is work and you and your dog will be a team that trains together. You get trained as well as your dog. Because of the work we both put in, we became a team, let that sink in and I'll say it again, you will be a team. Choose your dog wisely.
I have been reading through all the comments, good and bad regarding Bart and T.A.D.S.A.W. In my 59 years of breathing on this planet, I have yet to come across any organization where everybody that interacts with them is happy and satisfied with 100 percent of everything they experience with the organization or company!!! Friends of mine came across a T.A.D.S.A.W. information table somewhere and got the information and application for me. I filled out the application and submitted it. I spoke with Bart S. on the phone a few times. He put me in contact with a local trainer. It wasn't very long, at all, really, and I received a call that the trainer had a beautiful, young, Black Labrador/Border Collie mix for me to meet. We met at a Local PetSmart parking lot. I met the trainer AND my current Best Friend! He was very calm, very alert, and very attentive. We walked through the parking lot to the grass and we just got to spend a little time sizing each other up. When we walked back to the trainer's truck, this young dog who became my AMAZING Service Dog leaned up against my right leg and showed me that WE are supposed to be a Team! That was December of 2019. In May of 2020, I had to fly to the Midwest to watch my Brother die from lung cancer. Between the flights to, and the flights back two weeks later, my T.A.D.S.A.W. Trained Service Dog walked through 2 different airports each direction with a 4.5 hour layover each way. We went to the food court so I could get some pizza. The whole time, he walked right beside me with no issues. He layed at my feet on three of the flights and actually layed in the empty seat next to me on the other flight. The Flight Attendants commented on how good of a dog he is. Passengers getting off the planes actually said "I didn't know there was a dog on the plane!". He goes into IHOP with me and lays at my feet while I eat. He goes into Chipotle with me. He has gone into Cracker Barrell, Taco Bell, and Outback Steak House with me. He lays at my feet every time. Not everybody is going to get along with everybody! Not everybody is going to like everything somebody says to them. Everybody will get rubbed the wrong way by somebody sometime! A LOT of times, we have "Personality Conflicts" with people. What I will finish up with is I wouldn't be surprised if a Non-profit organization struggles to pay money out. Maybe if a person wants to be do work for a non-profit organization, or even be a trainer for T.A.D.S.A.W, maybe they should be willing to just be a Volunteer.
I contacted TADSAW in 2016 in reference to getting a service dog. I filed appropriately & submitted all documents. It's now 2020 and I have yet to receive a service dog through this organization. I have spoken with Bart numerous times and he seems unwilling to help and gave me the run around. His first "trainer" evaluated a pet dog i had to see if he would make a good candidate and this trainer whipped my dog with his leash and said "Nope, this dog wont make it. He's flinching too much." Bart "fired" this trainer and took on another. This trainer has yet to find me a dog in 3.5 years of waiting meanwhile others have gotten theirs. I recently found out that they haven't helped me because the current trainer says I attacked him over the phone...we have never spoken for more than minutes, him always saying "I'm checking the next shelter and I will keep you updated." I'm very patient & I've been waiting for his call since 2017. I havent heard from him since. This trainer also said that I lied on my application with how many dogs i own. Its been 4.5 years and I've acquired 3 pet dogs since then. Of course my application doesn't match how many dogs i have. Its been 4 years and I haven't been asked to update anything. So now my reputation in the community is tarnished because of this slander. I do not reccomend TADSAW. As a female veteran, they simply don't care. Very unprofessional to make someone wait nearly 5 years now, without communication. This is unlike any other organization I've ever heard of.
I live in North Carolina TADSAW has been a blessing. Spent 2 years trying to find a organization that help veterans train service dogs after my German Shepherd service dog passed 2 years back. I have a blue heeler now and trained him for about a year prior to finding this awesome organization.
I learned new tricks from my dog trainer Devon !!! Never even knew even after having a service dog prior to this one. Great team I cant believe so many people complain about having to travel and small petty stuff. Hell training for service animals can cost 20 grand or even more . ALL YOU NEED IS FUEL AND LOTS OF TRAINING TIME WITH YOUR DOG BEFORE THE NEXT TIME YOU MEET WITH YOUR TRAINER
After contacting TADSAW in reference to getting my husband a service dog, I got a call from the founder, Bart S.. The initial conversation lasted over an hour. Some things he said were rude and hurtful but I overlooked them thinking he was so passionate about what happens to service members that he could not help himself. However, we ended up going with someone else because my coworkers/friends surprised us with providing us with the training by a highly recommended trainer in the area. I sent B.S. an email as a courtesy so he would not be wondering where our application was or why he had not received it. His response was mean, rude and very hurtful. He told me that undoubtedly the trainer used an e-collar and congratulations I had done more harm than good to our dog. That hopefully he would be able to sense if my husband is having an episode, among other insensitive statements. My initial reaction was to respond but then I thought to myself....this man is ignorant, arrogant and condescending and I will not waste my energy or time trying to teach him how to talk to people or make statements without being hateful. It is unfortunate that he is the head of an organization that is supposed to help and be supportive of veterans. I'd like to believe the trainers are not like him and are better at their job than he is.
TADSAW has really stepped up for me. Granted, it does take a few months to get things going due to SD trainer & funds availability. Sometimes email response is delayed, but they are a busy group. My trainer, Lee, is/was great and is very patient at instruction/guidance. We were able to develop and reinforce my dog's natural alerting skills and eagerness to learn. My SD is a life saver and has really improved my quality of life. Be prepared for regular training that lasts over a year. Be patient because dogs aren't humans and learn differently. Don't expect instant results and a prepared service dog in just a few weeks/month. It takes work. TADSAW is worth the wait. If it wasn't for their sponsorship, I could have never afforded service dog training and guidance.
TADSAW .. Irt this organization or any non-profit for animals. well i just read negative comments about TADSAW, I occasionally read negative and positive comments of non-profit organizations.. and my thoughts are this. We need to take the time and help those that are struggling to maintain they're business. Its not an easy job to do.. As a former k9 military search and rescues handler I can honestly say that is a tough job to maintain one dog! But when an individual takes it upon them-self to run a non-profit Organization we should help them! Not try and tear down the Organization ... Its not easy. We all need help in our journey... Reach out and try to make the Dog Organizations successful... they have a hard job to do. ....SSGT USMC/USN 100% Disabled Veteran. God Bless all those who help Dogs World!! Dogs only live so they will love humans unconditionally ... Semper-fi.
Don't donate or waste your time to this poorly run organization. Bart S. doesn't have the management skills to pay his trainers, and he will damn and shame you when asking for it ("all for the better good of the veterans".) He owes me from April of this year (it's currently August) and became very defensive when I asked about payment. I don't think I'll ever receive it.
He also has no problem shaming you via email.
I have no problem posting screenshots.
Vets- do yourself a favor and help yourself through a legitimate organization. This was a joke and waste of my time.
I come from a family of veterans, but damn me for wanting payment for sessions I've done MONTHS prior. This is basically volunteer work with no contract.
Maybe you would do better if you marketed yourself. Maybe.
Don't let an American organization (501C3 or not) pull an American veterans card on you for some delay of pay scheme. The UNAMERICAN thing is to decide not to pay at all, and the truly shameful thing is to use veterans as a scapegoat for that purpose.
I am a combat veteran; I spoke with the founder/ director and he was incredibly rude and condescending to me not to mention the fact that he uses inaccurate information. I have seen many dogs "trained" by TADSAW and they are a total sham... not at all well behaved like service dogs should be. I do not recommend this company.
I have been a TADSAW trainer for almost 2 years. The program has helped numerous people and since it is a not for profit agency, yes, sometimes the paycheck is delayed. I am in it to help the veterans who put their lives on the line for me. I am in perfect health, mentally, physically and spiritually. Many veterans coming back are not as fortunate so I will continue to train them and their dogs with or without pay. At the time of this writing I am up to date on money owed to me. If you are a dog trainer only looking for a quick dollar, then don't become a TADSAW trainer. If you are a trainer and want your paycheck to come regularly then get your butt out their and solicit funds. Bart is only one person. And one wonderful person. I cannot say enough nice things about him--and (LOL) we don't always see eye to eye on things. For the sake of the active duty and veterans we all woke together. I personally have stories of the TADSAW dogs saving the veterans lives.
Sandra Harknett
Holly Ridge, NC 28445
I live in NJ and Bart was very helpful and saw to it that local trainers got to work.
I will advise anyone wanting help you have to be proactive and work hard.
This is not a handout and requires plenty of sweat equity!
I have to disagree with the others. Mr. Sherwood came through. I am 100% disabled from the military. I could not afford to train a service dog. T.A.D.S.AW. came through and paid for all of the training. With this dog now, I know he is there for me. When I have nightmares or if I fall he is there to help me up. If not for Mr. Sherwood and the T.A.D.S.A.W. Organization, I would not of progressed. I kept in my home, would not go into stores didn't really want to be around people. I still have a lot of issues but this dog is slowly bringing me out. How long it will take I have no idea. But for those complaining about the program, there must be another reason that T.A.D.S.A.W turned you down. This is Oreo, my service dog.
Once he got all the paper work to summit for a payment voucher, he stopped responding to me. The owner was called to the carpet by VA and flat out lied about not contacting me. THERE were other lied about the type of dog I could have and various other things. Only when I asked for my papers to stop his getting pains by VA, did he respond. Fortunately I had saved all the texts and email. Once VA called him on his lie he changed his story. DON'T GIVE THIS GROUP ANY MONEY. THERE ARE BETTER VETERANS SERVICE DOG TRAINERS!!!!!!!
Well spoke with Bart and he insured I would get help and would be on the list. The in about 5 to 6 weeks a local trainer which is located in talking rock, ga. Would contact me and set up the process to look for a companion and then training. The time had passed and I reached out to Bart to see what was going on and he never responded. So in my eyes he and his so called help for veterans is a joke and a hoax. To let a veteran in nedd beleive that there is hope and help out there and then just like everyone else to let him down and blow him off. What a shame.My thoughts on TADSAW, a veteran who suffers from PTSD and needs help.Thank you