My Nonprofit Reviews

My parents have been volunteers at PAALS for over four years. I live in California, and when I came home for Christmas, I had the joy of being able to help out with the new litter of PAALS puppies from what I can honestly say, was the most exciting trip home ever. We went to Louise and Randy's (Generous veterinarians who have supported PAALS and whelped multiple times) house as much as we could, and I got to hold and play with the puppies. This isn't just about playing, though. PAALS has a whole book of exposures and things that these pups have to do right from the start. I had no idea about this. My parents and I took them on car rides, made up obstacles as challenges, played different noises on our phones, etc. From day one, PAALS dogs are trained! This program starts from birth and by the time I went back to California these puppies were responding to "sit" . Wow. Best visit home ever. Sorry, Mom and Dad, but you know...how can you beat this next Christmas?

PAALS continues to impress me with their ability to keep the program going through this last year. When I was home on break this summer, I had the opportunity to go on an outing with the dogs since my parents are volunteers. I watched first-hand how the dogs are trained and exposed to different environments. (And I got to sit in the back of the SUV with them and get some loving.) They are so precious. Even in strange places full of distractions, they learn to focus on their handler. It's such a long journey to becoming a fully-trained service dog, but the end result is worth it. Now more than ever, there are so many veterans who would benefit from a service dog, and of course, mobility dogs are always needed as well. I always donate and support PAALS. It's such a worthy cause and a life-changing mission.

I've worked with a lot of patients who have anxiety issues, strokes, and disabilities. My parents foster these dogs and I read through the entire manual and saw first-hand how much training and dedication it takes from the staff and the fosters. I loved being home over my break and learning about the training, and yes, getting puppy hugs. I can't say enough about how impressed I am with this program. There are so many people in need of these service dogs and so few available. It is truly a mission that needs to be funded and grow. And it's not just for veterans. They find a place for every dog in the program to somehow help and serve. This is an organization that deserves and needs all the help it can get.