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My Wonderful Dog

Entrepreneur: Elsa Larsen

Address: PO Box 11371
Portland, ME 04104

Telephone: (207) 780-9792
Email: elarsen@wonderfuldogs.org
Web Site: http://www.wonderfuldogs.org/

Grant Amount: $243,207
 

Mission Statement

To provide specially trained companion assistance dogs to those individuals living with disabilities in Maine and the northeast.

Purpose of Grant

$5,000 (To fund a feasibility study and the planning of income generation as My Wonderful Dog grows its operations); $41,207 (2004 To expand programming; $80,000 (2005 To expand programming, including number of dogs trained); $117,000 (2006 To meet additional staffing needs)

Additional Information

My Wonderful Dog was founded in 2000 with the mission of providing specially trained companion assistance dogs to those individuals living with disabilities in Maine and the northeast. Assistance Dogs increase the independence and functional capacity of persons challenged by disability. In addition, My Wonderful Dog has also developed the “Teen Trained Assistance Dog” (TTAD) program to engage at-risk youth in the care and training of these highly skilled animals. Using the dog as a conduit for learning, this program teaches care-giving and training skills to youth, facilitating the development of self esteem, self discipline, and positive leadership skills.

Since its inception, MWD has successfully placed the first in-state trained service dog team. Albert, a two year old black Labrador Retriever, was paired with Doug Hussey, a 22 year old young man who was paralyzed in a car accident two years ago. This year MWD has also expanded their teen program to include the Spurwink School and Sweetser in the training of their pups, providing the organization with training personnel at a fraction of the cost of professional trainers and at the same time providing countless benefits to the teens involved.