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Kirtland Family Housing held an interactive service dog educational event for base housing officials May 25, 2021, at Kirtland AFB, N.M., featuring trainers and canines from Assistance Dogs of the West, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Fe, N.M.
The presentation, by Linda Milanesi, CEO and president of ADW, covered the extensive requirements candidate dogs must complete in their 18-24 months of training to qualify under the auspices of Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of not-for-profit organizations that train and place assistance dogs.
Attendees learned the differences between emotional support animals – family pets that may or may not be trained in obedience – and service dogs, which are professionally trained and certified to perform tasks for people who need them, under the Americans with Disabilities Act and New Mexico Service Animal Act.