Our graduates
Working teams share their stories
“Hawaii Fi-Do dogs are very perceptive...They click on the same wavelength that you’re thinking because of the training that they receive.”
“We’re [training] together about two days. One night I’m having real bad problems with my back and I guess I’m rolling around in bed, moving and groaning a bit, and here comes Buzz running into the room. He jumps on my bed, puts his head down on my shoulder, and I realize that everything’s gonna be okay.”
“I found Hawaii Fi-Do online...I contacted Susan Luehrs, which is the perfect person for service dogs...I went through a lot before cominʻ to Hawaii trying to get a service dog. Susan helped me so much. {She said} “you come to training, you donʻt get a dog right away,..thereʻs steps you have to go through because we have to make sure that you and the dog match.””
“I have six different doctors a month that I have to go see, so that’s six days a week every month...now it’s been three years since my husband had to take time off, and sometimes he asked me, ʻCan I go to the doctor with you today?ʻ
If I didn’t have him [Oakley] I’d still need the nurse, or my husband to take the day off to take me to my appointments.”
What people are saying about Hawaii Fi-Do
“My first assignment was to care for Annie, one of Fi-Do’s breeders. Annie sold me on the value of Hawaii Fi-Do. My daughter, Michelle, has a rare condition called Rett Syndrome. One of her many challenges is the constant agitation of her body, especially hands. These tremors prevented her from relaxing into a full night sleep.”
— Vickie Kirihara,
Puppy Raiser & Board Member, 2007
“Before my dog Fin, I was always depressed and in my room, but now I’m always out.”
— Cpl. Daniel Carter, a native of Temecula, California
“Wherever I go, she goes.
She’s always there, smiling with a wagging tail.”
— Lance Cpl. Joshua Jablon