An Open Letter to the PADS Volunteers

Two dogs. Hundreds of volunteers. One life completely changed.

To every single PADS volunteer—not just the puppy raisers and trainers, but the quiet hands behind the scenes: the drivers, the sitters, the emergency contacts, the fundraisers, and everyone keeping the wheels turning every day—thank you!

What you do makes this possible. All of it.

When I received my first service dog, Bellatrix, I quickly learned something profound: there wasn’t anywhere we went that felt new to her. Crowds, noise, chaos… she had lived it and practiced it all because of you. She moved through the world with a steadiness that was healing for someone like me, whose body lived in constant pain and a state of fight-or-flight.

If I leaned into the dog, the pressure cooker I lived in started to release. Instead of spending every ounce of energy just “getting through,” I started discovering what I “got to do.”

How do you thank the people who gave you back the ability to move through the world safely, to be seen, and to be part of things again? After years of being overlooked, I am no longer invisible. We walk into spaces and bring light with us—not because of me, but because of what you created.

Then there are the quiet moments: the safety of being home alone and knowing that a dog is there to bring me a phone or anticipate my needs. That kind of peace is something I can’t fully put into words.

Bellatrix changed my world, and now Compass carries that same legacy forward. Your work doesn’t end when a dog leaves your home; it lives on in every step I take and every breath that comes a little easier.

You have helped move my life from black and white to one filled with color and laughter.

– Fern Kwantes, PADS client