Project Description:
Project Description-AGS
Aggie Guide-Dogs & Service-Dogs (AGS) is a student-run organization at Texas A&M University that began in 1997. The mission of AGS is to educate about, fundraise for, promote the training and use of service dogs, and to increase awareness about how these animals help individuals with disabilities. It was formally affiliated with the Center on Disability and Development in 2010. The main outcome of AGS is training a number of puppies to extremely high levels in order to become service dogs that can be placed with human partners to increase that persons independence and overall quality of life. In addition to helping with daily life tasks, service dogs have also been found to facilitate social interactions and decrease social distancing that individuals living with disabilities sometimes experience.
Through the assistance of Puppy Trainers, AGS trains carefully-screened puppies to obey and behave appropriately in public places, as well as perform commands unique to service dogs. Puppy Trainers are carefully selected from the Texas A&M University and Blinn College student body, and must complete rigorous training in dog behavior/care, legal rights of people with disabilities, and in interacting with the public, before training a puppy for 12 18 months. During this time, the Puppy Trainers provide Phase I training, which includes basic obedience training and socializing the puppy to a wide variety of people, dogs, and social context.
All members of AGS serve as informal educational resources for those interested in either disability services or service dog training. AGS holds biweekly meetings through which it educates its members on the needs of people with disabilities and the service animals that serve them. Puppy Trainers, in particular, are highly visible resources for people interested in training or obtaining a service dog. AGS Trainers dispense information about service dogs and the needs of people with disabilities. AGS members routinely educate businesses on access laws for service dogs and their handlers through in-person interactions and, on occasion, formal letters when advocacy is needed. Furthermore, AGS members educate individual citizens about these disability access laws when they inquire as to why AGS dogs in training are allowed into public facilities. The confident, knowledgeable presence of AGS Members combined with high, strict standards for AGS dogs behavior has notably increased the overall level of access for service dogs in Brazos County and beyond.
After the conclusion of training, AGS puppies are donated to a nationally recognized service dog training school for Phase II training. Phase II typically lasts about six months, and focuses on training specific skills to assist their future partner. At that point, the dog is then permanently placed with their partner with disabilities. AGS endeavors to graduate seven to ten dogs to advanced training facilities, who then match these dogs with individuals with disabilities requesting service dogs.
AGS members also deliver formal presentations and interactive, hands-on demonstrations throughout the state of Texas to a wide variety of age groups. AGS includes community members in weekly dog training sessions alongside its service dogs in training. Additionally, AGS responds to numerous emails from people through their website, thus providing education about service dogs and their training for individuals across the country. AGS has many professional contacts to whom they refer if they cannot directly assist them in their needs. AGS Members frequently wear AGS merchandise and answer inquiries about AGS mission and service dogs in general.
FY 2023
The current number of members within the organization that are considered active is 63. There were a total of 15 general member meetings during the times that you specified. We have just received our 111th dog in the program, with 107 of the dogs already graduated and 4 currently in training. Within the specified times, there were 32 total group trainings including campus trainings, which include the general members, and trainer outings which are exclusive to the members who are currently training a dog.
Activities:
Recruit volunteers from students and local community members
Train/educate students and community members about service dogs through presentations
Disseminate information through the website, paw prints, advertising, etc
Support our goals through fundraising
Products:
Dog ID cards
Trainer ID cards
Business cards
T-shirts / fleeces
Puppy Trainer Handbook
Paw Prints (Bi-weekly newsletter)
Website
Jackets
Brochures
Information boards
Emails to General Public
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
