Service Dog, Storm & Peter 2011.

Balance Dog Hudson & Dot 2016 Dot was the founder and original Executive Director of A.C.T.S. During her years as Executive Director she suffered from increasing symptoms of vertigo and seemed to worsen through the years.  She found herself in need of the very dog that she had been training to assist others.  Hudson was bred in the A.C.T.S. breeding program, founded by Dot.  He is a nice tall golden and helps Dot when she is out by wearing a harness to brace her when she loses her balance.  He also assists by picking up things she has dropped. Facility Therapy Dog Rye & Jen 2016 Jen teaches Jr. High Special Education.  She was looking for a nice dog to take to work with her when she came across A.C.T.S. and sent in her application.  We were lucky enough to have the perfect dog for Jen.  Rye works with her students as part of a reward system and doing deep pressure therapy to help her students remain calm and focused on shcool work. ​ Balance Dog, Skipper & Beverly 2015 Beverly had a service dog prior to Skipper and when her dog started getting older and not as able to assist her she knew she needed another dog.  Beverly struggles with balance and cannot bend over and pick things up.  Without a dog she is unable to be out and moving around on her own.  Skipper has a wonderful playful and happy personality, but when he puts his working harness on, he is all business and all about Beverly.  Skipper can assist Beverly while she is walking and can also turn on and off lights, pick up dropped articles, and do an emergency phone fetch.  Beverly's retired service dog, Tom, still lives with Beverly, her husband, and the other family pets.

Facility Therapy Dog, Jaffrey & Lacey 2016 Lacey came to A.C.T.S. as a strong advocate for animal assisted therapy.  She was in the process of planning an internship with Melissa Winkler, noted Occupational Therapist and Animal Assisted Therapy advocate and practitioner.  Lacey completed her degree in occupational therapy and her training with Winkler just prior to receiving Jaffrey.  Jaffrey assists Lacey in her practice with children and Lacey continues to teach Jaffrey new skills to use in her practice. ​ Service Dog, Aspen & Jeff 2016 Jeff is the Advocacy Director for Granite State Independent Living.  He has had two service dogs in the past and Aspen will be his third service dog.  Jeff has Muscular Dystrophy adn uses a power wheelchair.  Aspen will assist Jeff by picking up dropped articles, pressing automatic door buttons, turning on and off lights, and doing an emergency phone fetch should Jeff need assistance.  ​

Facility Therapy Dog, Bristol & Lyn 2015 Lyn wanted a skilled therapy dog to work in a new program she was creating for wounded veterans to do yoga.  Being a veteran herself Lyn understands the importance of mind and body and knows first hand how yoga can help.  She wanted a skilled therapy dog to assist in her yoga classes so if her participants were nervous, frustrated, or just needed a little extra help to calm and get into the right frame of mind, a therapy dog could be there to help.  Lyn and Bristol are a great team.  Bristol is working in Lyn's yoga program and she is also working in a reading program for children in the schools.  Being a veteran herself, Lyn admits that Bristol also is a great companion and friend and is always there for her when she needs her.

Balance Dog, Saco & Emily 2015 Emily suffered a traumatic brain injury when she fell off a horse.  The injury resulted in problems with balance issues and some sensory sight sensitivity.  Some years later the condition was worsened when Emily underwent several surgeries and treatment for thyroid cancer.  Before Saco, Emily was unable to walk comfortably on her own and was dependent on her family to assist her.  Saco wears a stiff balance harness and provides support for Emily when she is out in public.  He is also trained to pick things up that she has dropped, remove socks and clothing, and turn on lights.

Service Dog, Friday & Suzan 2013 Suzan was very active with Friday's training from the beginning.  She had a Service Dog in the past and knew what she wanted.  She helped find a breeder to donate Friday and also a Puppy Raiser to work with him during training.  Friday's training went well.  He worked with Suzan and several Puppy Raisers.  He grew to be a beautiful dog, and as he slowly learned all the things Suzan wanted him to, she became more and more attached.  Suzan has MS.  She walks some, but primarily uses a scooter.  Friday works well alongside the scooter and does a wide variety of tasks for Suzan including fetching and pressing automatic door buttons.

Facility Therapy Dog, Westin & Liz 2013 Liz had something very specific in mind when she was planning on a Facility Therapy Dog for the Child Advocacy Center of Carroll County.  She knew animal assisted therapy could make a big difference in her work, and when she met Westin, she knew she had found her dog.  Westin is a lovable golden retriever.  He never had much drive to learn service dog tasks, but he loved children and all people.  At the Child Advocacy Center, Westin greets families as they arrive, making them feel comfortable and entertaining them.  He is also available for the child during the intake evaluation and interview.  He goes to the court house with the children when they testify and can be a calming presence in an otherwise difficult day.

Home Helper Dog, Cutter & Diane 2013 Diane needed a dog to work with her at home.  She has fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease, and osteoarthritis.  All of these things make it hard for her to bend over, pick things up, and maneuver through her daily activities.   Diane also works with her local school and wanted a dog that could do therapy work.  Cutter loved to do tricks, loved children, and enjoyed fetching along with his other tasks.  Cutter is also a poodle, making him the perfect dog to take into the schools for therapy work.  Diane has Cutter help her around the house on a daily basis.  His primary job is to pick things up that she drops.  Cutter is smart and enjoys a challenge, and will try his best to pick up almost anything.

Service Dog, Chilly & Dean 2012 Chilly was donated by a local breeder who lived with the large litter of puppies right in her busy kitchen.  From the beginning, Chilly was exposed to lots of children, adults, sounds, and other animals.  As a result, Chilly was a wonderfully confident black labrador retriever.  His Puppy Raiser even took Chilly to compete in Dock Dogs where he happily jumped off the dock into the pool!  Dean has Cerebral Palsy and needs help with a variety of tasks.  Chilly is a great learner, and so they became a wonderful team.  Chilly fetches items from the floor and table, opens doors, can bark for help, and pushes an emergency life alert button when Dean needs help.

Service Dog, Freedom & Teena 2012 We met Teena many years ago before A.C.T.S. was in existence, when we were all Puppy Raisers for another organization.  Teena was a great Puppy Raiser and a good friend.  So when she asked us to help her with her own Service Dog, we had to say yes.  Teena raised Freedom on her own, and A.C.T.S. helped to finish the training.  Teena suffers from depression and Freedom works with Teena out in public, helping her by positioning between Teena and situations that create stress.  Freedom will also insist on leaving, providing Teena with an excuse to go, if that helps Teena escape uncomfortable situations.

Home Helper Dog, Bell & Bruce 2012 When Bell and Bruce met it seemed like we had found the perfect match.  Bell was a sweet labrador that preferred home life to working in the big world, and Bruce and his wife were both having medical difficulties and needed help at home.  Bell would be able to assist them with a variety of tasks and would also provide companionship. Their team training was completed in their home where Bell would do most of her work, and Bell and Bruce have been doing well together since.

Home Helper Hearing Dog, Misty & Connie 2011 Misty was one of three adorable chocolate labradors donated from the same litter.  She was the only female and was small, and sweet, but a bit nervous when out in public.  She didn't like her vest and in time it became obvious that this would not change.  Her puppy raiser, Ivette, suggested a new career for Misty.  Misty loved training and knew all her service dog tasks.  Ivette's mother, Connie, was hard of hearing and needed assistance with that at home.  She did not need help when she was out, because she was never out without another person.  Misty's training quickly turned to learning Hearing Dog skills, like alerting to the door bell and smoke alarm.  She did well with her new training and Misty and Connie became a team.

Balance Dog, Indiana & Patricia 2011 Indiana was the first puppy raised by 14 year Puppy Raiser.  She worked hard with Indy.  He was a big boy and loved life.  He was enthusiastic about most anything put in front of him and as he grew into the big red golden that he would come to be known as, he showed the trainers how comfortable and confident he was out in public.  Indy was matched with Patricia who has Spina Bifida.  Patricia lives alone and has trouble with balance.  She needed a dog that could assist with balance and fetch the phone in case she fell and could not get up.  Patricia enjoys life and likes to have fun, making her a great match for Indy.  Even though Indy is a bit of a "goofball" and makes Patricia laugh, he is very good at his job.

Service Dog, Storm & Peter 2011 Storm is an adorable little chocolate labrador and, as a puppy, some would say he was appropriately named.  He was full of energy and a bit of a crazy little boy.  When some of the trainers would shake their head in disbelief, his Puppy Raiser, never gave up on him.  As time passed, Storm became a sweet, quiet, easy going boy.  His second Puppy Raiser, worked hard training Storm to do his tasks and he was eventually matched with Peter.  As the result of an accident, Peter is a quadriplegic.  Storm helps him remove his jacket or coat, open the refrigerator door, fetch the remote, and other objects.  Storm was known as our little "chocolate chip".  And it is certainly true that they don't come any sweeter than Stormy.

Facility Therapy Dog & Home Helper Dog, Montana & Kristi 2011 Montana is a great big black labrador retriever.  As a puppy he earned the nickname, "Mr Lug", because he was so big and lazy.  He grew into a charming character who loves life, people, and learning.  Montana was placed with Kristi who is a psychotherapist working with children on the Autism spectrum.  Kristi has a great appreciation of the benefits of animal assisted therapy and wanted Montana trained to do "tricks" that she could bring into a therapy session.  Montana is a quick learner and has a number of behaviors that are incorporated into Kristi's work.  He is also one of our best dressed graduates, wearing costumes frequently for the children.  Montana also helps Kristi at home with balance, moving up and down the stairs, and fetching.  He is passionately known as "Tana", and is an important member of Kristi's big loving family.

Balance Dog, Eclipse & Toby 2010 Toby and Eclipse met in 2010.  Eclipse is a big tall red golden retriever.  He was raised by our founder and Executive Director.  During his training, Eclipse did well with his public access work, but was a bit slow learning his tasks.  But one day, he seemed to wake up and figure out that working could be fun.  From that point on, he learned all the Service Dog tasks with little effort, and also started training in the Balance Dog harness.  His height and gentle quiet disposition make him the perfect Balance Dog.  Toby has MS and needs a little support from time to time.  Eclipse helps him with that.  He also picks up dropped items so Toby does not have to bend over.

Home Helper Dog, Luna & Mark 2009 It was a bit of luck that brought Luna together with Iraqi war veteran, Mark.  Mark found a group of A.C.T.S. volunteers working at a booth, and inquired about their flunkouts.  Mark didn't need a full time Service Dog, but thought a trained dog would be helpful.  Mark sufferers from hearing loss, back pain, and PTSD.  The volunteers immediately recognized that A.C.T.S. could do much more for Mark than simply placing a flunkout with him.  Luna helps Mark pick up things he has dropped, alerts Mark to family members who call him, and positions herself in his lap to provide comfort during PTSD attacks.  Luna loves to play ball and she and Mark are best friends when it comes to a good game of fetch in the back yard.

Service Dog, Orion & Lisa 2009 Orion was one of our first dogs and was an adorable black labrador puppy bred and raised by her breeder.  After two years of training, Orion was matched with Lisa.  Because of a car accident, Lisa has limited mobility and uses a wheelchair.  She uses Orion to open and close doors, pick up things that she drops, fetch the remote, untie shoes, pull off socks and shoes, and do an emergency phone fetch.  One of the most important things that Service Dogs do is provide companionship.  Lisa lives alone, and Orion is her full time friend, helper, and companion.  Orion has a wonderfully expressive face that makes Lisa laugh daily.