4 Paws For Ability

We did our service work at a non-profit organization called 4 Paws for Ability! It is located in Xenia, about 20 minutes from CJ.

In 1998, 4 Paws for Ability was founded by Karen Shirk. She wanted to create a place where people were not judged based on their severity of disability in order to obtain a service dog. The organization aspires to be a top provider of service dogs to children with disabilities regardless of how severe the disability is. 4 Paws for Ability also provides for adult children who cannot live independently and have caregiver guardianship.

They have extensive volunteer opportunities for people of all ages! We are trained to be puppy and papillon partners where we socialize the dogs in training by playing with them outside for some fresh air, encouraging them to go through tunnels, play in water, fetch tennis balls, etc. Some other areas we are trained in are playhouse pal and puppy baths. This includes assisting in daily socialization and bath exposure goals for puppies 4 to 12 weeks! Here are some pictures of the dogs we have worked with:

There are lots of other ways to be involved with 4 Paws. If you are interested in volunteering at 4 Paws or learning more about their mission, you can visit their website! The link is below.

Also, we interviewed KaLynn Clark, the 4 Paws for Ability Director of Volunteer Engagement. The interview highlights are in the blog post titled Podcast 3- KaLynn Clark. At the end of the blog, there is a link to the podcast interview with KaLynn if you would like to listen to all of the information and personal experiences she had to share!

https://4pawsforability.org/

Also in our interview with Mrs. Clark, she told us about a Netflix documentary called "Dogs". The first episode features a family who was helped by 4 Paws and placed with a service dog. Go check it out to learn more about 4 Paws and this family's experience!!