PLEASANT PLAIN, Ohio — A nonprofit organization has been changing lives for more than a decade, and they’re not stopping anytime soon.

What You Need To Know

  • A nonprofit organization has been changing lives for more than a decade and they’re not stopping anytime soon

  • The organization known as “Circle Tail” works tirelessly by training and matching service dogs with people who are hearing impaired or have physical disabilities

  • The dogs go through serious training for about two years which can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000, however, Circle Tail pairs the service dogs with their owner at no cost to the individual
The organization known as “Circle Tail” works tirelessly by training and matching service dogs with people who are hearing impaired or have physical disabilities.

The dogs go through serious training for about two years which can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000; however, Circle Tail pairs the service dogs with their owner at no cost to the individual.

The soon-to-be dog owners aren’t allowed to take the dogs home right away — they have to train their dog every week at the Circle Tail facility in Pleasant Plain, Ohio for six months.

Longtime Circle Tail Trainer Tracy Desch says seeing the dog makes a difference in their owners lives making the years of training them worth it.

“Knowing this is their purpose, that is why I’m doing this,” Tracy explained. “I want to make sure that this dog is so stellar that she’s really gonna make me proud as T see her go on and see her make someone else’s life much better.”

The organization mostly recruits golden retrievers, labs and german shepards as their service dogs.

One woman who applied for a service dog in Januaryhas been training with her lab, Rona, at the Circle Tail facility since May.

“I come here for training almost every Saturday,” said Margie Altland. She and her husband have made the three hour drive to Circle Tail to train with Rona for months on end. “There’s a commitment, you just don’t take it lightly. She’s dependent on me, and obviously, I’m dependent on her.

“I got t-boned in a car accident, and then I developed breast cancer so doing the chemo and everything, I’ve had a lot of struggles,” Atland told us. “I’ve had eight spinal surgeries. I have all titanium parts, so I can’t bend over at all, so she’ll get my shoes and socks for me. If I drop my cane she’ll pick it up for me.”

But these struggles will soon to be lessened by the blonde hair, brown eyed girl named Rona who finally got to go to her new home with Margie this month.