Since 2006
Saving Lives & Servicing Our Communities
Little Angels Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an Assistance Dogs International (ADI) accreditation. We provide highly trained service dogs to give the gift of independence to children and adults living with disabilities.
Katie Gonzalez on Closer Look
Our Mission
To maximize the innate ability of dogs to give the gift of independence to individuals regardless of disability or age.
Our Vision
To revolutionize the way in which service dogs interact and assist all disabilities, visible or invisible.
Our Values
Equality, Compassion, Community, Innovation, Fiscal Responsibility
What We Do
We specialize in training service dogs for individuals requiring mobility assistance, diabetic alert, seizure alert, hearing assistance, psychiatric service, and autism assistance.
Changing Lives….One Dog at a Time.
WHERE WE TRAIN
Little Angels has regions in Southern CA, Eastern TX, and New England.
We have an amazing group of dedicated and highly skilled trainers who ensure our dogs continue to take on the reputation by which they are known. In addition to our trainers, we also have a fantastic group of volunteers and fosters who help make it possible to continually raise and train dogs and meet the demands of our waiting list.
HOW WE WORK
OUR TRAINING PHILOSOPHY
Dogs come from a social structure with a strong desire for community; for relationships with direction; for a set of rules that are both engaging and rewarding. It is no wonder that ‘dog’ is considered ‘man’s best friend’; they seek companionship and will be loyal even to a fault, but it is up to us to communicate how we can work together in a way that is beneficial and safe. Dogs need a leader who can make the logical and responsible decisions in a relationship. And that leader is you!
While dogs have abilities that humans can hardly fathom, they only have the problem-solving mentality of a two-year-old child. We ask dogs to live in a world surrounded by car traffic, with unnatural chemicals and substances in our trash cans and garages, even with toxic plants exported from around the world and planted on our street corners. It is up to us to keep them safe and protected, to seek out veterinary care, and provide a balance of nutrition such as they would find in the wild even if it is served from a stainless-steel bowl in our homes.
Since the time when wild canines were domesticated, humans took on an immense responsibility and assumed a leadership role to ensure the benefit of all. At Little Angels we believe each handler should enter each situation with thoughtfulness for the safety and wellbeing of their dog. To manage our dogs well on a busy city sidewalk, inside a restaurant, or in the crowded aisles of a grocery store, we must have a dog who has learned to respond consistently to our commands. While dogs are incapable of making RESPONSIBLE decisions, they should be RESPONSIVE to their history of training. Little Angels puppies learn early on that there are rewards for following a series of different behaviors on cue, and we believe the response must be absolute. When we say ‘stay’, we are not offering them the choice to run across the street instead. The only option is to stay safely where their handler has thoughtfully chosen. This is not only for the safety of the dog, but for the safety of the recipient as well. There is a gap in training if a dog chooses to chase after a squirrel rather than to remain in heel to receive a treat from their handler’s hand. Dogs must walk on a loose leash with focus on their handler as we navigate parking lots, school field trips, sporting events, and doctor’s appointments.
For generations, certain breeds have been honed and selected to perfect certain abilities such as retrieval, odor detection, and many other traits. But here at Little Angels, we believe that dogs should get to choose their ‘hobbies’ and ‘career paths’ just as humans do. Someone who has a fear of heights isn’t likely to enjoy mountain climbing every weekend. A person who is adverse to groups of lively children, shouldn’t choose to be an elementary school teacher. Likewise, we do not force our dogs to perform tasks that are outside of their innate desires. We observe our dogs closely during their maturity, providing varying opportunities at different stages, to understand their propensities. A dog who dislikes retrieval won’t be asked to perform that task in their future career as a service dog. We want them to enjoy their work, to think of each task as an opportunity to play a complex game (a game that can change or even save your life), and in turn, both dog and recipient benefit on a daily basis.
Contact Us
Locations
