What We Do > Speaker Series

Upcoming Seminars at THSD's Training Center

To be announced soon.

Bring THSD to You!

Contact Debbie@servicedogs.org to schedule a THSD representative to speak to your group. Presentations include a video and training demonstration with a THSD dog!

International Consulting

Texas Hearing and Service Dogs has been very honored to be invited to teach training seminars and speak at training conferences in the United States and beyond.

THSD President, Sheri Soltes has presented THSD's training program to the Asociación Española de Perros de Asistencia (Spanish Association of Assistance Dogs) in Madrid, Spain for three years.

She also presented THSD's training program at the International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA) in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. IMATA is made up of trainers from marine animal parks and facilities around the world.

Other conferences that have invited Sheri to speak are the National Coalition of Councils for Developmental Disabilities and the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA). ABMA is open to trainers of any species of animals. That includes dogs, horses, birds, elephants, primates, whales, dolphin, just everything. Members may work at zoos, have private training businesses, work in health related fields or just train on their own.

Sheri and THSD Graduate Misty O'Neal presented to over 200 trainers at the 2004 ABMA Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2005, ABMA invited Sheri back to give the keynote presentation, which she did with THSD Grad Gina Mosley and her Service Dog GG.

This past April, Sheri visited Fundación Bocalán del Perro de Ayuda Social in Barcelona, Spain. (Bocalán Foundation for Social Helper Dogs) They have a large international training program for Hearing, Service and Therapy Dogs. After she taught some classes at their Barcelona facility, their Training Director invited Sheri to join them in Santiago, Chile to present five days of classes to the Chilean Army on training therapy dogs.

In November, Sheri spent 9 days in Santiago, Chile training the 7th Squadron of the Carabineros, Chile's national police with the Bocalán Foundation and Confiar, a Chilean Animal Assisted Therapy group force. The 7th Squadron trains all of Chile's patrol dogs, drug and explosive detection dogs and Search and Rescue (SAR) Dogs. The SAR dogs work in Chile and neighboring countries like Ecuador searching for victims of earthquakes, avalanches, drownings and other natural disasters.

The Carabineros were not only learning how to train the therapy behaviors, they were learning a completely new way of training - with only positives. This was a big change from their traditional reliance on physically dominating the dogs.

The trip was such a success that the Carabineros invited Sheri to return to Santiago in March to teach some more. They also are planning a two week visit to Texas to train at THSD's facility.

Next February, Sheri will return to Barcelona with THSD Training Director Becky McClintock to present seminars at the Bocalán Foundation's Class of 2007.

You can be proud of your support of THSD. Not only are we helping the recipients and homeless dogs in our community, we are working with people and organizations all over the world so they can help people living with disabilities in their own countries.

Keep those donations coming! Your Home Town Team is making you proud.