Welcome Buckeye Service Dogs!
Thank you for visiting Buckeye Service Dogs! Choosing the right service dog provider for you is an essential part of the process of obtaining an psychiatric, mobility, or seizure service dog.
I hope the information we have provided here will assist you in your journey. Please feel free to contact us by email or phone. We would be happy to answer additional questions or set up an assessment interview.
Christy Talbert
Owner, Buckeye Service Dogs
I began training service dogs as a volunteer for Support Dogs for the Handicapped (founded by Sandy Maze) in the early eighties.
At that time, using dogs to assist persons with mobility impairments was a completely new idea.
Many years later, I learned that Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) had started in California at about the same time Support Dogs started here in Columbus.
While I was working with Support Dogs, I met Sam and Joe Maxwell. Joe was a quadriplegic, and Sam was his wife. Sam, Joe, and I spent hundreds of hours evaluating dogs and trying to figure out the best way to produce a dog that worked reliably and joyfully for a disabled person. There was no experienced person to teach us everything was learned by trial and, especially, error.
The training techniques I use today are the same ones Sam and Joe developed early on (although, much refined now).
Fledgling organizations are prone to disunity (and drama!). Eventually, Sam and Joe parted ways with Support Dogs, and formed a new organization with the help of a neighbor. This organization was called Happy Canine Helpers (now disbanded).
After a couple of years, another split occurred, and Sam and Joe formed Guide Dogs for the Handicapped, which was later renamed Assistance Dogs of America. (As a side note, CCI eventually took over Support Dogs and has a facility in Delaware, Ohio).
Throughout all these organizational changes, I continued to train and place service dogs. Often, I did this on a volunteer basis, but I also was employed by Assistance Dogs of America, first, in the late 80’s and later in 1990, first as a contractual trainer and then for several years as Director of Training. When ADAI moved entirely to it’s location in Swanton, Ohio, I didn’t want to relocate, and assumed my days as a dog trainer were over. As it turned out, I continued to get requests to train dogs, and BSD was born.
ABOUT US
We provide several types of service animals. All dogs are custom trained to meet your unique needs.
The majority of our dogs are unwanted, throwaway dogs. Some come to us with serious, but curable medical conditions. Others have never had a loving home. By using unwanted animals, we are able to better not only the lives of the consumers we serve, but also save the lives of some wonderful, undervalued animals that deserve a second chance.
Assistance dogs are for persons with mobility impairments (wheelchair, crutches, etc.), or mobility impairments combined with other challenges such as hearing, speech or partial vision loss.
Therapy dogs provide companionship and therapeutic partnerships for persons with mental/emotional challenges (head injury, Downs etc.). Therapy dogs may also perform service functions such as picking up dropped objects, depending upon the capacity of the consumer.
Seizure Response dogs can respond to a seizure by providing assistance during a seizure. (ie: touching a switch or other device to call for help).
Psychiatric Service dogs engage in behaviors designed to prevent or mitigate outbursts, interrupt self-harm, ease depression, or lessen panic attacks.
Seizure Alert dogs may alert to an imminent seizure. About 15% of dogs and 50% of service dogs possess the sensitivity to alert to seizures , low blood sugar, or other conditions before the event occurs. Because of the intiutive nature of seizure alerting, BSD cannot (nor can any trainer) guarantee a dog will alert to seizures.
Facility dogs are trained to interact in a therapeutic manner with consumers in residential facilities, hospitals, etc.
Diabetic Alert dogs alert Type 1 diabetics to dangerously low sugar levels.
Application Information
March 15, 2018 Christy
Please read the FAQ and Fee sections before submitting your application.
BSD Service Dog Application:
Is a Buckeye Service Dog right for you?
If you are able to answer “Yes” to the following remarks, BSD may be a good match for you as a service dog provider:
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Live in Ohio
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Live in an adjacent state but there is no suitable service dog provider in my area.
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Need a dog for a diagnosed physical or psychiatric disability.
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Seeking a seizure dog because I have at least two breakthrough seizures per week.
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I am at least 12 years old. If younger, a parent will be the primary dog handler.
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Have read the BSD fee section and have the ability to pay, or receives a DODD waiver.
Application Process:
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Please begin by reading the website. In particular, the FAQ, ABOUT, and FEE Sections. Also read the article on selecting a service dog trainer or organization.
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If you meet the criteria in the previous section, please fill out the application and submit.
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BSD will contact you after you have submitted the application.
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If it appears you we are a good match, an assessment interview will be arranged.
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After the interview, you will receive a written summary of the appointment which will include a price quote if it appears BSD is a good fit for your situation.
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If we move forward, BSD will begin searching for a dog to meet your needs as soon as we receive your initial payment.
Link to Application:
We are only accepting applications for our Co-Train program at this time.
