Brendan Madden received his first service dog, Japhy, in 2005 (since passed in 2018). While a service dog is an amazing asset to their owner, an owner may still need to learn how to properly care for their dog! Not only is there a lot to know when it comes to caring for a service dog, there are also a lot of expenses. Wanting to give the best care possible to Japhy, Brendan looked for help but found that there were hardly any resources locally or online. “The only organizations I was able to find were for training and placement” explains Brendan. This inspired him to create the non-profit organization, The New Hampshire Coalition for the Support of Service Dogs (NHCSSD) in 2018. He wanted to provide a place in his words “to help people with their service dogs” and provide much-needed awareness and education to the community.
NHCSSD’s overarching mission is “to create a statewide network of businesses and individuals willing to offer support to service dogs and their owners.” Their initial goal is to build awareness of what service dogs are, and how to respect them and their owners within the local community. While right now their focus is providing this and educational resources to owners, the Coalition’s long term goal is to connect owners with a network of quality providers (groomers, veterinarians, etc.) and provide assistance with their bills.
If you would like to learn more about NHCSSD and their upcoming giveaways, events, and resources follow them on Facebook. For more information, or if you would like to partner with the Coalition, you can go to their website at servicedogsnh.org.