We are a nonprofit 501c(3) pet organization located here in Southern Illinois. My name is Jim Baker and I am a retired military veteran who is disabled. Three years ago my doctor told my wife and I that if I wish to continue getting around it would be a good idea for us to obtain a service dog. After checking into the cost of these animals we realized we would not be able to afford one. So we deci
ded to try and train our own, because I have trained dogs in and out of the military for the last 40 years. We believed we could do this with assistance from other organizations. We asked for help from several organizations in Southern Illinois and even though I was a disabled veteran I was unable to obtain assistance despite the fact that some of these organizations claim to be assisting veterans. After researching the difference between service dogs and police/military dogs we were able to train our present dog “Sam” fairly easy. I have become a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. I sit on the board of directors for Miracle’s Sanctuary of Hope and have the support of the organization for going forward with service dog training as well as general training for dogs. Service dogs can cost as much as $20,000-$30,000 each, depending on what they have been trained to do. Our goal is to work with individuals who need service dogs for mobility or alert issues. We will not be training the dogs but instead training the individuals the dogs will belong to. This should cut the cost by as much as 70% to 90% for a service dog. We have run into many individuals in the local area who are in need of a service dogs but are unable to obtain the funds to purchase one. The service dog training program will take approximately 2 years to complete. After approximately 14 to 16 months individuals will be able to take their dogs into the public community under a service dog in training identification until the dog has reached maturity and can be assessed using standardized test for assisted dog public access. These animals will have had approximately 200 to 300 hours of classroom training as well as an additional 500 hours or more at home. We have many goals for the future and service dog training is just one of them. We also hope to provide service dog training for veterans in the local area who need them at little or no cost. Another of our goals is to provide in-service training for businesses as well as public organizations dealing with what the ADA law really states. Many businesses do not understand their rights under the present ADA law. We also hope to provide education to the public and businesses on exactly what a service dog is as well as the different classifications of service dogs. Our IRS Tax ID number is 85-2976544 Bark for Hope k9 Training is also listed on the Illinois State Attorney General web site listing of non-profit organizations. We have two mailing addresses. For pet adoptions and animal welfare, the contact information is in Benton, Illinois. For inquiries about animal training and services dogs you can contact us at the address listed below.
