Here you will get to know some of the assistance dog professionals with disabilities who are already working in the sector today.
These brief profiles are only a small selection. Many others are already involved and experienced.
Since currently everyone has to improvise their own way into the profession, this list does not make any statement about qualifications. It only documents that people with disabilities are already striving to enter the profession today, and what potential lies dormant here for service providers and recipients.
Professionalization of the sector, as would be created by a high-quality education and inclusive certification, will make it easier for people with disabilities to pursue their passion as a profession - employed or self-employed.
At the same time, assistance dog trainers with disabilities have many special competencies with which they enrich the sector.
Filiz Erfurt
filiz-rollidogs.de
Her Journey
Class with assistance dog and future handler
About her relationship with dogs
Initial training steps with a team
Petra Behrendt
Throughout her life, Petra Behrendt was strongly committed to the assistance dog organization that trained her assistance dog. She led training afternoons for owners despite increasing ALS, supervised the Puppy Raisers, made phone calls, mobilized media, raised puppies (who soon read everything from her lips despite paralysis), and was committed until her last breath. Still seriously ill a few days before her death, she created this song with accompanying video.
Anki Celander
Anki Celander founded an ADEu-recognized assistance dog school in Sweden, www.soshund.se. She is committed to her teams and to political discourse.
Allen Parton
The emotional story of Allen Parton and his assistance dog Endal is summarized here in a two-minute video. Allen Parton's own experience was the catalyst for founding the assistance dog organization Hounds for Heroes.
Jasmin S.
Jasmin S. is on the board of Dogs for Handicaps in Berlin. She recently completed her training as a dog trainer and dog behaviour consultant at IHK Potsdam. She trained her second assistance dog and successor dog, Luna, herself.
Anna S.
Anna S. also works as an assistance dog trainer for Dogs for Handicaps in Berlin.
Ms. Senkel has one arm, but still successfully manages a dog pack of sometimes up to nine four-legged trainees.
Kordula B.
Kordula B., paraplegic after an accident, is also involved in training assistance dogs.
