The Exceptional Sidekick Service Dogs and Therapy Dogs

08/20/2026

There are a few more spots available!

Beat the craziness and take a moment to laugh and giggle with some puppies!

Summer's winding down and the school year is about to swallow everyone whole. Before the schedules get crazy and the homework starts piling up, come spend an afternoon on a yoga mat with your favorite person and a room full of 12-week-old puppies who have absolutely no idea how busy life is about to get. All levels welcome.

Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 PM.

Please note that our puppies are babies with very sharp baby teeth, so we ask that attendees be adults or children 12 and older. And if you're coming solo, honestly, same. The puppies don't judge.

All proceeds benefit The Exceptional Sidekick Service Dogs, a nonprofit based right here in Newtown, CT. We train and place psychiatric service dogs with teens and young adults facing some of life's biggest challenges, because every young person deserves a sidekick.

Spots are limited, so grab your mat and reserve your place now!

Come for the yoga, stay for the puppy kisses, and leave knowing you made a real difference.

Link in bio or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-to-school-puppy-yoga-to-support-the-exceptional-sidekick-service-dogs-tickets-1997603597133?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

08/17/2026

HUGE shoutout to WAGS Doggie Daycamp & Boarding in Danbury for looking after Mochi and always giving our dogs Exceptional care! This message is approved by Mochi! 🐾

08/13/2026

We have pet dogs available for ADOPTION!

They Didn't Make the Cut as Service Dogs. That Doesn't Mean They're Not Exceptional.

Every dog in our program starts the same way: raised with intention, trained with care, given every tool to succeed as a psychiatric service dog. Some of them do. But most don't, and that's not a flaw. It just means their skills (or their personality, or sometimes just their vibe) are better suited for a different kind of job. Being somebody's best friend instead of somebody's lifeline.

These are dogs who've had an incredible start to life. Think early socialization, structured training, health screening, more attention and enrichment than the average puppy could dream of. They know basic commands. They're used to being around people, noise, new places. They have had the best possible start to life.

What they need now is a home where nothing is asked of them except for love.

If you've got room in your life (and maybe your couch) for a dog who's already halfway to perfect, we'd love to talk.

Link in bio or apply here. https://form.jotform.com/261347701862155

08/11/2026

Beat the craziness and take a moment to laugh and giggle with some puppies!

Summer's winding down and the school year is about to swallow everyone whole. Before the schedules get crazy and the homework starts piling up, come spend an afternoon on a yoga mat with your favorite person and a room full of 12-week-old puppies who have absolutely no idea how busy life is about to get. All levels welcome.

Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 PM.

Please note that our puppies are babies with very sharp baby teeth, so we ask that attendees be adults or children 12 and older. And if you're coming solo, honestly, same. The puppies don't judge.

All proceeds benefit The Exceptional Sidekick Service Dogs, a nonprofit based right here in Newtown, CT. We train and place psychiatric service dogs with teens and young adults facing some of life's biggest challenges, because every young person deserves a sidekick.

Spots are limited, so grab your mat and reserve your place now!

Come for the yoga, stay for the puppy kisses, and leave knowing you made a real difference.

Link in bio or register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/back-to-school-puppy-yoga-to-support-the-exceptional-sidekick-service-dogs-tickets-1997603597133?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

08/05/2026

Big news to share! The Exceptional Sidekick is now officially accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), the result of 10 years of hard work building this organization the right way from the ground up. We're one of only 167 organizations in the entire world to hold this accreditation, and we're absolutely giddy about it.

This isn't a small thing. ADI accreditation means we went through a seriously thorough review of everything we do, governance, training, client services, placement, dog welfare, all of it, measured against more than a hundred international standards. It's the kind of process that takes years, not months.

We've always held ourselves to the highest standard for our dogs, that's never been up for debate around here. But now we've got ADI standing behind us to prove it. For the families we work with, that means something simple: when your teen or young adult is matched with one of our psychiatric service dogs, you can trust that dog was trained, placed, and supported the right way, every step.

None of this happens without the people who show up for us. Our volunteers, puppy raisers, trainers, donors, and community partners, this one's for you too. Thank you for helping us get here.

Feels pretty fitting that this news lands during a week all about why standards matter. Guess we practice what we preach. 🐾

08/04/2026

One of the partnerships we're proudest of is with Sacred Heart University. Students there can raise one of our puppies and actually earn credit for it, which means the dog gets a consistent home, a routine, and steady exposure to campus life (classrooms, dining halls, dorms, all the noise and movement that comes with it), while the student gets hands on experience with training methods most people never get exposure to.

The campus benefits too, in ways that go beyond just watching a cute puppy walk by. Students and faculty end up learning what assistance dogs actually do and why the training matters, which builds exactly the kind of awareness we talked about earlier this week. And there's something to be said for the effect a dog has just being present on a college campus. Anyone who's had a rough day between classes and run into one of our puppies in training knows what we mean.

By the time our dogs graduate to placement, they've already learned to handle real, unpredictable public environments. Grateful for a partnership that works this well for everyone involved.

08/03/2026

People tend to assume service dog training is a few weekend classes and you're done. It's actually closer to two years, sometimes more, of teaching a dog to stay steady around noise, food on the ground, other dogs, kids running up to pet them, all of it, while still paying attention to the person they're working for. That's what separates a trained assistance dog from a dog wearing a vest. Positive reinforcement, a lot of repetition, and a lot of patience from everyone involved, so our dogs are truly supportive for our clients in their worst moments.

A big part of that training happens because local businesses let us in the door. Huge thank you to Newtown Volunteer Ambulance Corps for allowing our dogs practice around real equipment, real sounds, real chaos, so they're ready for it when it actually matters. This kind of community support is exactly what makes solid training possible.

08/02/2026

International Assistance Dog Week starts this week, and we're using this time to talk about a few things that matter to us: training standards, what real access looks like, and the importance of the relationship between assistance dog teams and the businesses and schools around them. ADI's Executive Director wrote a blog on exactly this that's worth a read, we've linked it below and its available in our bio. We'll be posting through the week too, so stick around. https://assistancedogsinternational.org/blog/2026/08/01/general/dogs-behaving-badly-why-standards-matter/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTbXUxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEwVmp2WWhmYXgzRmpZbEVLc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHn50WNw3uNYSVJIMOKKBOtBtmxLBEvf8y6OX0lRVsg1m34Prs5R0I6-HzhJj_aem_yncnP25xCTDT6DEZXU7hyg

07/05/2026

We need YOU this August!

Our puppies are arriving soon, and we're looking for two more families to open their homes for 2-4 weeks while our Sacred Heart University students finish moving back to campus.

Short-term commitment (2-4 weeks)
Full training and support provided
Friendly, well-behaved dogs at home? No problem
No other pets? Even easier

This is a simple way to make a big impact. Fill out an application today and help us keep our puppy program running strong.

Apply now, we'll be in touch soon! Link in our Bio or click below.
https://form.jotform.com/261068033096152

06/05/2026

CT’s only locally run AKC Recognized Therapy Dog Organization! If you have a dog that loves to visit with others and you have a strong desire to give back to the community, join our group in visiting local libraries, schools, hospitals, and community events. Our teams know that Therapy Dogs Know How to Heal!