CLEVELAND — There’s a good chance if you see a service dog from WAGS 4 Warriors, it didn’t come from a breeder.
Frank and Jennifer DeLorenzo only use a breeder for about 25% of the dogs they train for service.
Only about one out of every 20 dogs will qualify for the program, which means the standards are strict.
“We go for the obedient dogs, the ones with no bite history, the ones that just want to be around humans and are easily trained,” Frank DeLorenzo said.
In order to find which dogs would be the best fit, the DeLorenzos take trips to the local shelters to scope out the different personalities.
“We ask that the rescues bring them to our training site,” Frank DeLorenzo said. “We unleash them in the room and we see how their confidence goes.”
The evaluation is just the start but it’s an important part to the safety of both the animal and the veteran.
“If it's overwhelming for them to come into here after a few classes, it's going to be really overwhelming for them to be out in a public area,” Frank DeLorenzo said.
He knows the importance of saving a life, giving life and encouraging other veterans on their mission to begin life again.
“My service animal was a week from being put to sleep at 10 months old and she's been the greatest thing for me.”
The process to finding the best service animal is sometimes tedious, but the outcome is something everyone in the organization loves to see.
“The rescue dogs, they just want to be loved,” Frank DeLorenzo said. “They've been stuck in a cage and the veterans have been stuck in a cage in their minds so you put them together and the bond is almost immediate.”
Once the dogs pass evaluation and they’re paired with a veteran, they’re literally leashed together for three days then they have to complete 120 hours of class time and 60 hours of public access.
For more information on the process and how a pairing works, click this link.