Personal autonomy and independence are at the core of quality of life for many people. Too often, people experiencing disability—whether visible or invisible—must sacrifice some measure of independence in their day-to-day lives. Assistance dogs can be a powerful tool for restoring autonomy and independence, but the cost of these highly trained dogs can be a barrier.
For more than 40 years, Dogs for Better Lives has been meeting the needs of individuals living with disabilities by providing professionally trained assistance dogs for a nominal application fee. Not only is Dogs for Better Lives enhancing people’s lives, but it is committed to rescuing dogs and training them to help where they are best suited, whether as hearing, program assistance or autism assistance dogs or as companion dogs. All dogs are trained to Assistance Dogs International standards, and they help keep people safe, calm and connected with their communities.
The Murdock Trust had the privilege of supporting Dogs for Better Lives in its construction project to build a second training facility to better meet the needs of the long list of people waiting for a service dog. Dogs for Better Lives recently shared a peek into the construction project and the progress from breaking ground in November 2016 to completion in September 2018. Scroll through the photos above for a look at this inspiring project.
