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Karen Shirk, founder of 4 Paws for Ability", is taking dogs our of pounds, "training" them for three months(which they are NOT trained and still pee all over the house) calling them "service dogs" and charging upwards of 14 thousand dollars! Service dogs require at least one year of training once the dog has turned one year of age. This Cruella DeVille, Karen Shirk, is scamming parents who are desperate to help their special needs children and she counts on that desperation so she can laugh all the way to the bank.
I recently (last week) went to 4Paws for Ability in Xenia and the shear amount of dogs that were in cages just astounded me. There were dozens and dozens of the literally stacked all over the place. The POUND has more respect of dogs than this place. BEWARE!
Hmmm, how much time did you spend there?
How many staff people did you see tending to the dogs?
Did any of the dogs look ill to you?
Maybe you should investigate a little more!
I have spent a total of 4 weeks ... 8-12 hour days ...
Don't judge until you have the FACTS!
Charges thousands of dollars for dogs. They are not an accredited service dog training organization. Founder pays herself over 100, 000 a year in salary. On their taxes they do not list the names of any major donors or the number of recepients of their services. They say they provides hundreds of service dogs. Where is the proof?
You obviously know NOTHING about this WONDERFUL program. I pity your ignorance to learn the great things this organization does for children, veterans & their family. I thoroughly involved with 4 Paws on a volunteer basis & have been fortunate to speak with the family's who receive the beautiful service dogs who are BRED THERE (95% of the time), those you are adopted through pounds or rescued have to be of a certain young age & have gone through a personality/temperament test to qualify for SD training. The fosters, volunteers--but most importantly--the trainers work VERY HARD with these dogs & the dogs are placed doing a job they ENJOY because they choose their future jobs on what the dog likes to do. The matching process is a beautiful thing & 4 Paws has a HIGH success rate of partnered families & SDs, unlike other service dog organizations. It is obvious that you are one of minority who assumes someone is bad based on hear-say... Which is pathetic. The families are asked to fundraise 13k in most situations however a lot of the time those families are pushed through to classes. With each individual dog costing 4 Paws 22k to train & provide care for during his/her 1st year of life is costly. None of the families have ever complained, in fact the others who have 4 Paws service companions are excited to assist them, as well as 4 Paws & volunteers. This program does good things for our community and the world. So next time you decide to open your mouth about something be sure to gather FACTS!
Dog-Lover, You have to feel sorry for people with so much anger and self-hatred that to feel better about themselves they have to downgrade others. The saddest part of all is that some people (who don't do their homework) will fall for the lies people perpetuate. So in essence what they are doing is depriving a disabled child or vet from getting a dog that would be immense help in developing more independence. We've had two 4 Paws dogs over many years - both well-trained with impeccable behavior. It made a huge difference in the lives of our family. It's a shame really - I hope they get some help. What a great organization 4 Paws is - I am so thankful they continue their excellent work.
4 Paws For Ability is not a very good place they show favorites and if you aren't one of them you are not helped. They are rude and ignorant and not one for helping people out if you have a question they say you are bugging them too much and I did not feel comfortable. They turned my daughter away just cause I was asking them a few questions. Now my daughter is without a service dog due to these ignorant staff. I give them a thumbs down all the way.
Be careful of this organization especially if you are interested in fostering. A family member recently was a foster parent and did not have a good experience. Fostered a dog for a year and a half. Unfortunately she did not pass her evaluation. Next we tried to adopt her because she was loved tremendously and this process became a nightmare from HELL.
The owner maliciously denied adoption for several family members. I do not believe the owner has the animals best interest in mind. Allowed the dog to sit in a pen for weeks when we made numerous attempts to adopt her. Alot of lies were told and even their own employees verified our suspicions. I also question a organization that says it is a nonprofit when they are selling dogs for $17000.00. We were told they have 600 dogs at any given time.
I would be careful dealing with this owner, they need to reevaluate how they do things here. Would not recommend them especially if you are considering being a foster parent to a dog.
I have tried several time to adopt a kitten from 4Paws and have not been able to do so. The most recent one said he could be adopted alone, but I was told later I could not have the one I wanted because he was not good with children, but it was a kitten! In a separate email, concerning the same kitten, I was told I could have him because I'd have to adopt 2 kittens. I think this place is a scam.
I grow up in the country and know you do not need to have two kitten for them to survive, and in fact it would be easier to have one then add the second. You should not be forced to take more than one pet if you know you ability to have someone watch them if you're out of town and if you lose your job, will you still be able to afford more than one? These people are more concerned about offloading these poor babies, then they are about their ultimate well being. I'm extremely disappointed in this whole process.
4 Paws 4 Ability doesn't have kittens.