Since opening its doors in August 2004, Bellingham-based nonprofit Brigadoon Service Dogs has placed more than 100 trained service dogs within the Pacific Northwest, aiding and enhancing the lives of their handlers who live with diverse abilities.
“Every dog that we place is a Whatcom County success story,” says Kevin M. Ryan, executive director of Brigadoon Service Dogs. “We’ve seen a growing need in our community for the services that we offer, and we’re grateful to be a trusted part of the solution.”
Photograph by Tina L. Kies
Brigadoon Service Dogs provides trained service dogs for veterans, children, and adults with physical, developmental, and behavioral health disabilities. Assistance Dogs International (ADI) certified since 2014, it is one of very few organizations of its kind in the state that will see children under the age of 18 whereby, on a case-by-case basis and with support, teenagers are granted solo-handling opportunities.
“When an individual has been accepted into our program, we take that client on for life,” adds Ryan. “Our role is to fill the gap between safety and function for our clients.” Brigadoon receives 12-15 puppies a year.
“All the puppies we receive are purpose bred dogs that feature specific characteristics deemed beneficial for service-oriented lives,” says Shawn Crincoli, dog program manager at Brigadoon. From eight to 10 weeks of age until each puppy is about six to eight months old, Brigadoon relies heavily on volunteer “puppy raisers” to act as foster handlers until the puppies are of age to move on to the next phase of preparation. Puppy raisers are the first very important step in successfully raising and placing a dog with their future human. During this time, puppy raisers are provided weekly training classes on how to properly raise a puppy, including socialization techniques, exposure to positive interactions, and fundamental cues like come, sit, down, and stay.
Photograph by Tina L. Kies
“We can’t emphasize enough the importance of our puppy raisers,” adds Crincoli. “Securing additional help in this area from interested community members is essential to the success of our program.”
Once a Brigadoon puppy has reached about nine to 12 months of age, they depart their puppy raiser’s home and are then matched with another volunteer trainer within one of four participating Washington State prison programs. In this environment, the dogs are housed with inmate participants for three-month terms and trained for basic good manners under the supervision of a Brigadoon trainer.
“The purpose of a service dog is to mitigate the disability of its handler,” says Dan Sammons, director of site operations at Brigadoon. “From their arrival to when they graduate from our advanced training program, our dogs are intentionally taught appropriate public behavior so that each service dog team is prepared to function effectively and safely.”
In December 2023, Brigadoon relocated its headquarters to a new facility in Bellingham with more than two acres of buildable land to accommodate the organization’s desire and need to grow. Plans are already underway for purpose-built kennels that allow for easier indoor and outdoor accessibility and reduced aggravating stimuli for the dogs.
Photograph by Tina L. Kies
“So far in our 20th anniversary year, we’ve been focused on settling into our new space, getting organized, and building a foundation for our future,” concludes Ryan. “We’re also focused on meeting our critical resource needs and collaborating with those in our community who are dedicated to the outcome as much as we are.” 6401 Old Guide Rd., Bellingham, 360.733.5388, brigadoondogs.org
