About Us
Our organization's history is one of dedication, passion, and community. Over the
years, we have grown from a small initiative to a recognized and accredited
training center. Our unique approach involves volunteer puppy raisers who
socialize and tailor training programs to meet the individual needs of the recipient.
We have no formal training facilities; instead, our dogs-in-training live in the homes of our loyal and committed band of puppy raisers. By training in public settings, our puppies learn to ignore distractions—preparation for focusing on their future handler.
We are a grassroots 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and the only Certified Training Center on the island of Oahu, Hawaii.
Our Mission
Hawaii Fi-Do Service Dogs helps to build independence and quality of life for children
and adults with disabilities in Hawaii by providing them with quality trained assistance dogs and by sharing awareness of service dogs to the community.
In 2008 we were Internationally Accredited under Assistance Dogs International, Inc. and our volunteer community has built Hawaii Fi-Do from the ground up. We have no formal training facilities; instead, our dogs-in-training live in the homes of our loyal and committed band of puppy raisers. By training in public settings, our puppies learn to ignore distractions—preparation for focusing on their future handler.
Volunteer Opportunities
While we train our dogs, we work with our community to raise public awareness about service dog teams. And, we offer compassionate and educational programming in schools, eldercare facilities, on-base, and with US Veterans wherever they live in the islands. Our funding comes mainly from generous individuals, businesses, and local human services grants such as Aloha United Way, and Friends of Hawaii Charities.
Community Outreach Programs
Susan Luehrs, Founder
Hawaii Fi-Do was founded in 2000 by Susan Luehrs, who was trained at the Assistance Dog Institute in Santa Rosa, California.
Susan had great success using dogs to aid her in her previous profession as a special-education teacher at Kahuku High School. She noticed that when dogs were around, kids who were reserved opened up and became much more engaged. It was Susan’s love for dogs and desire to help people with disabilities that lead to her founding Hawaii Fi-Do. As lead trainer, Susan works daily with all our puppy raisers.
Kiley Esprecion, Program Director
Kiley joined us in 2023. Born and raised on Oahu, she returns home from Nevada where she worked for Heaven Can Wait Animals Society-Pups on Parole. At Heaven Can Wait Animal Society she was the Canine Program Coordinator-Dog Trainer/Behaviorist and spent almost a decade fulfilling its mission and rehabilitating canines and humans.
She received her BS in Criminal Justice and MBA from Chaminade University. Kiley enjoys the outdoors and loves spending time with her three senior rescues, Miloli’i, Elfie and Thumper. With Kiley’s compassionate heart, dedication, and expertise, she looks forward to focusing on our mission and vision.
Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Dara Fukuhara- Marketing/Public relations
Chair
Susan Leuhrs - ADI Certified Dog Trainer (Founder)
Vice Chair
Susan Tamashiro- Retired Educator
Secretary
Charles Cardinal- Retired U.S. Army
Treasurer
AT LARGE MEMBERS
Jodie Miller- ADI Certified Dog Trainer
Jim Kennedy- Retired Hawaii Fi-Do Executive Director
Vickie Kennedy- Disability Advocate / Guide Dog User
Katelyn Taua`a- Military Veteran
Sandi Meehan- Retired IL Specialist
Karen Bernstein- Attorney
Advisory Board
