Our Story

Good things take time to grow

Sherbert Service Dogs has been a dream of mine for years, and a way to help disabled teens and adults get well trained service dogs for their specific needs.

A teen in need of a dog

At age 12, my parents had reached their wits end, and realized that I could majorly benefit from having a service dog. We applied to some organizations, but got turned away and were back at square one. Then enters Sherlock, whom I got at eight weeks old, and started training him and learning as I went. The perks of being home-schooled, were that I had lots of time to focus on Sherlock and his training. at two years old, I felt Sherlock had completed his training journey, and he worked as my full time service dog until late 2021 when he started retirement.

As I got older, I realized there was a major gap in the service dog industry for specifically Autistic teens and adults, and started dreaming of creating something to help.

Meet the Team

Head Trainer

Annika Giesbrecht

I have a passion for anything and everything animals, especially dogs!

Being Autistic myself, this gives me a unique understanding of how beneficial psychiatric service dogs can be.

I love hiking, running, photography, reading, cooking with friends, and trying new dog sports with Sherlock and Albert!

Retired + Demo Dog

Sherlock

Sherlock came to me as an 8 week old puppy with a lot of energy, spunk and a love of learning. In his prime, he was an excellent service dog, who traveled across the USA, did DiisneyLand and flew to Toronto!

In his retirement, he sleeps and walks a lot, does trick training and often comes out and shows the new recruits the ropes of basic obedience.

Service Dog + Demo Dog

Albert

Albert is the dog who made me the trainer I am today. Albert is from Esprit Standard Poodles, and I got him with the intention of training him as Sherlock's successor dog and a sport dog.

He has now finished his training, and works full time as my personal service dog. In his free time he participates in agility, disc dog, barn hunt, and cani-cross running with me!

My Education:

As a dog trainer it is my job to continue my education and stay up to date with the current information on canine behaviour. As of August, 2024 I am a certified dog trainer through Dogma Academy. And have received my DDT designation!

I have completed the alert and response tasks course from Cooperative Paws Service Dog Education, for implementing improved service dog training to my business.

As of October 2024, I have completed Emily Priestley's 4 week Reactivity course , and Karen Pryor Academy's But First! Fun cooperative care course (4 weeks).