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Clear, practical articles about service dogs, access rights, and real-world training for veterans and their families.
Pawsitivity Service Dogs is featured in the July 2015 issue of Saint Paul Magazine!
Pawsitivity Service Dogs Is Changing the Lives of Families Affected by Autism
Julie and Tom Coleman of Pawsitivity Service Dogs with Sydney, dog in training.
PHOTO BY:
MARISSA MARTINSON
When Tom and Julie Coleman founded Pawsitivity Service Dogs four years ago, it was not just a clever name. They’re on a mission to bring positivity into the lives of families who are challenged with a connection to severe autism and other disabilities associated with the autism spectrum. “We are changing lives one dog at a time,” says Tom Coleman, who with his wife Julie trains autism service and therapy dogs for children.
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School demo
Goose, our demo dog, has been busy! He was invited to visit two groups of fourth graders at Mounds Park Academy, where we got to talk about how service dogs help people with disabilities. The students asked questions about training, daily tasks, and what it means for a dog to support their person. Classroom visits like these help children grow up seeing service dogs as part of community life and build their understanding of how the dogs help.
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Great photographer in St Paul, MN
A Pawsitivity supporter, Ken Yarina, took some great photos of one of Pawsitivity's veteran clients! Check it out!
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Walk with your dog - for charity!
Saturday, May 3, 2025, 9am
Eagan Central Park, 1507 Central Pkwy, Eagan, MN 55121
One mile walk - and dress up (or dress up your dog)!
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Request a Therapy Dog Visit in Minnesota
Are you part of a school, hospital, or another organization in Minnesota that would like a therapy dog to visit?
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Steps to Get the New 8-Digit Service Dog ID Code (SVAN ID) for Airline Flights
There's a new rule that most airlines now have--in order to fly with a service dog, you need a special 8-digit code (SVAN ID, or Special Service Request SSR code) that you get through the Open Doors Organization (then you need to tell the airline what the code is at least a couple days ahead of time so they can print it on your boarding pass). With many airlines, without this code, you won't be allowed to board your plane.
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Service Dog Training Classes in MN
Do you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, want to train your own dog to be a service dog? Our good friend, Myra Fourwinds, is teaching a course you can take!
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Jumping on guests
If you have a dog who jumps on guests, there are several fixes:
Training an incompatible behavior
Management
Longterm practices
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Aggression
Is your dog barking at other dogs or people (either from aggression/fear/anxiety or from playfulness?)
There are two major ways to help with a dog who barks at other dogs or at people.
1. Management
2. Behavior modification
Helping a dog who doesn’t get along with other dogs (or people) usually takes both management and training.
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WJON article about Pawsitivity’s impact with therapy dogs
Pawsitivity-certified trainer Jen Andrist and her “New You” public school program that Pawsitivity supports was featured in a great article!
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