We recently connected with Kaitlyn Sacco and have shared our conversation below.
Kaitlyn , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
Before I began my work as a service dog trainer, my mind was set on a completely different career path. I moved to New York City from a small town in Colorado in order to pursue a career in literature and publishing. While I was searching for the right opportunity, I took a job as a dog walker to pay the bills in the meantime. Through this job I was able to get to know the new city I lived in, as well as spend time with animals. I walked nearly every neighborhood in Manhattan, every mile I walked I learned more about canine behavior and body language, realizing they are capable of so much more than they’re given credit for. I adored spending my days with dogs, so I began to research how I could turn this new found passion into a long-term career with a more meaningful impact. It was through this research I discovered the world of service dog work. I had found a university that designed their entire curriculum around dogs and training them for people in need. In order to pursue this, I would have to move from NYC to the opposite coast, California. This was a huge risk and a major move for my husband and I, and it’s a risk that paid off 10-fold. I packed up my east coast life and moved to California, I attended Bergin University, earned my degree in assistance dog education, and was immediately offered a job at Paws for Purple Hearts upon graduating. It was one of the biggest risks I’ve taken in my life so far, and I couldn’t be happier that I did.
Kaitlyn , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am a Program Instructor and Client Liaison for a nonprofit called Paws for Purple Hearts. We are an ADI accredited organization that trains service and therapy dogs for disabled Veterans. I am based out of our San Diego, CA facility, but we have several other facilities across the nation in order to serve as many Veterans as possible. Our graduating service dogs help Veterans with mobility limitations through advanced retrieve, tug, and balance tasks. Additionally they help with psychiatric tasks that help to mitigate symptoms of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma. Before dogs are placed, they also help many Veterans through a therapy program Paws for Purple Hearts pioneered: Canine Assisted Warrior Therapy. Through this program we teach Veterans in recovery about the service dog world, and they have the opportunity to work hands-on with our dogs in training and help to teach them the tasks they will utilize once they are placed with a Veteran.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
Empathy. Working with clientele who suffer from complex disabilities from their time served in the military, it’s important to understand that PTSD, TBI, and MST are a spectrum. These disorders look different on everyone, a person’s experiences and trauma are unique to them and cannot be generalized to every Veteran. Being able to listen and empathize is absolutely critical.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Training a service dog is an extremely emotional and complex task. We begin training our dogs at 8 weeks old and spend nearly every day with them for 2 years before potentially matching them with their forever person. Over the course of their training you have to adapt to the dog’s learning style while simultaneously and consistently augmenting your teaching style. One method of teaching a task may work brilliantly for one dog, and not work at all for another. In addition to the many challenges that come with teaching a dog to be comfortable in a human world, there is the emotional resilience required for one day saying goodbye to that dog.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pawsforpurplehearts.org
- Instagram: @pphsouthwest