Build a Battle Buddy Program Explained
The Build a Battle Buddy program is the first multi-faceted approach at providing assistance to people with disabilities through the use of service dogs. It involves the private sector, a sponsor charity, and disabled veteran/first responder "skin in the game".
Through the last several years many attempts have been made at providing service dogs to disabled veterans and first responders. We believe these attempts have fallen short of their goals for a few very specific reasons:
1. Trainers of service dogs are by and large, untrained themselves, with little comprehension of how to train a reliable service dog and minimal understanding of the psychological and physiological needs of the veteran or first responder. The field needs structure, quality assurance, and standards that work to the benefit of the human.
2. The disabled veterans and first responders have not been actively involved in the training of their service dogs and by default not prepared for the work needed to ensure long term success of the programs. With no skin in the game, the disabled veteran sits and waits for years...sometimes as many as 5 years, hoping for a service dog...many are left hanging.
3. The charities have no "go to" group for their service dogs and for the interaction between the training of the service dog and the disabled veteran or first responder.
The Build a Battle Buddy program https://www.toptierk9.com/build-a-battle-buddy addresses these primary issues by changing the picture of the solution for the dog, the veteran/first responder, and the trainer and providing a new standard, a higher bar of quality and a replicable process for the veteran/first responder, and the service dog..
1. The service dog trainers are the veterans and first responders, themselves. They go through an intense 30 week program with the service dog being the product of the project. They can then learn to start their own dog training business and train service dogs for veterans and first responders who are unable to train their own service dogs.
2. The veterans and first responders must pay 25% of the program costs, directly out of pocket or through local and family fund raising that helps hold them accountable to the success of the program. (The charity sponsoring each class pays 50% of the remaining balance and Top Tier K9 covers the other 50%).
Top Tier K9 is the #1 working dog trainer school in the country. We know how to turn folks into amazing dog trainers. Top Tier K9 owns the process and trademark of "Foundation Dog®". A replicable process to get young puppies ready for deployment as service dogs, protection dogs, military/police K9, virus detection dogs, and more. Top Tier K9 is taking on all the work to train each class of 7 veterans who are sponsored by a charity to complete the program.
3. The charities can now focus on helping the veterans and first responders start the program, and Top Tier K9 takes care of the rest. The Top Tier K9 Build a Battle Buddy program is going to change the way service dogs are deployed to disabled veterans and first responders. Higher quality, lower price, faster turn around time.
The first charity to enter the ring is Forgotten Coast K9 (www.ForgottenCoastK9.org) Their Build a Battle Buddy class begins July 10th. It is 28 weeks (2-4 hours a week) live online with homework, then 2 full weeks live onsite at Top Tier K9 Madison Campus. To apply for a position in this class visit www.ForgottenCoastK9.org and sign up if you meet their requirements.
If your charity, or a charity you sponsor is capable of sponsoring a class of 7 worthy veterans and first responders visit www.TopTierK9.com and contact us for more information. Each charity can set their own requirements for their attending disabled veterans and first responders with focus on things like PTSD or other specific focus/attention that meets their mission statements.
