Service Dogs with Molly Neher of Atlas Assistance Dogs
Follow Los Angeles-based Certified Dog Trainer Susan Light as she seeks to learn from the industry’s best and become worthy of the title: Sensei of the Doggy Dojo!!
Susan interviews experts from all over the world about their specialties in the Dog world and shares the conversations with you, the dog lover!
Lisa Radosta DVM, DACVB
Dr. Radosta graduated from the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She completed a residency in Behavioral Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. During her residency, she was awarded the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists Resident research award two years in a row.
Dr. Radosta is the owner of Florida Veterinary Behavior Service, a specialty behavior practice in southeast Florida and co-owns Dog Nerds, an online educational resource for owners whose pets have behavior disorders.
She is a sought after speaker nationally and internationally. She is a coauthor of several books including: Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat, 4th edition and From Fearful to Fear Free. She is a contributing author for Blackwell’s Five Minute Veterinary Consult, Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Canine and Feline Behavior, Decoding your Cat, Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses and Feline and Small Animal Pediatrics.
She has published research articles in the Journal of Applied Animal Behavior Science, Journal of Veterinary Behavior and The Veterinary Journal and written review articles for Advances in Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Compendium, NAVC, Veterinary Team Brief, Clinician’s Brief and AAHA Newstat. She has served on the Fear Free Executive Council and the AAHA Behavior Management Task Force.
She has been interviewed for many publications including Cat Fancy, Dog Fancy, Palm Beach Post, NAVC Clinician’s Brief, Sun Sentinel, WebMD, AAHA trends, Real Simple, Good News for Pets, Catster, DVM 360 and AAHA News Stat. She has appeared on Lifetime television, Laurie Live, local news in southeast Florida, Mitch Wilder's Amazing Pet Discoveries, Nat Geo Wild, Animal Planet, Steve Dale's Pet Talk and Dogs, CNBC and Cats and Scapegoats.
Legal Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only and does not constitute advice or professional services by either the host nor any of the guests.
Website: https://drlisaradosta.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drlisaradosta/
Recommends: Dr. Evan Maclean, Director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center https://dogs.arizona.edu/people/dr-evan-maclean
If you want to work with me, Susan Light, you can find me at:
The music was written by Mac Light, you can find him at:
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I’m joined this week by Molly Neher, the Director of Operations and Programs and a Team Facilitator at Atlas Assistance Dogs. She became involved in the world of service dogs when she herself became in need of one after developing a severe seizure disorder her freshman year of college.
With her service dog Reid by her side, she developed an avid passion for disability and service dog advocacy and education.
She now works to increase access to service dogs for people with disabilities and helps people train their own service dog.
Check out Atlas Assistance Dogs’ website: www.atlasdog.org for anyone interested in learning more about how they could train their own service dog, find a trainer, help people with disabilities, or become involved in service dog training themselves.
You can also purchase the “Atlas Leash”. It is a great leash for both pet dog and service dogs. It has a dozen configurations including several handsfree options and can be adjusted for people and dogs of any size. Each purchase supports Atlas and people with disabilities.
Molly and I talk about the differences between Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs, and Emotional Support Animals, fake Service Dogs, what makes a dog a good candidate for training, how they’re trained, what they can be trained to do, and what people should/shouldn’t do when they encounter Service Dogs.
Here are some links to some of the things we discussed in the episode:
ADA information about Service Animals
FAQs about Service Animals from the ADA
Emotional Support Animals in California
NPR article about Emotional Service Animals on Planes (Dec 8, 2020)
Texas Toddler attacked by dog in a Service Dog Vest
I did find the article with the Emotional Support Alligator (I think I said Crocodile in the episode) and I will say, nowhere in the article does it say that his owner has ever tried to take Wally on a plane.
The bottom line is: legitimate Service Dogs, as well as Therapy Dogs and Emotional Support Animals, make many thousands of lives better in the United States alone. Although a few bad actors have eroded public trust regarding these categories of animals, it’s important to keep allowing access so that the people who really need the support of these animals can have it.
If you’re interested in Training a Service Dog for yourself, in supporting Atlas through Donations or Volunteering, or you’re a trainer who wants to train Service Dogs, contact Atlas at www.atlasdog.org
If you want to work with me, I offer video sessions to clients all over the world. You can find me at www.doggydojopodcast.com/digital-resources
The music was written by Mac Light, you can find him at www.maclightsongwriter.com
Please Subscribe, Rate, and Review to help others find the show, and I’ll see you next week for a brand new episode of the Doggy Dojo!!
