Michelle Dunlap, M.Ed., Executive Director and Lead Service Dog Trainer, is from Gainesville and earned her Masters of Education from the University of Florida in 1997. She taught middle and elementary school in Cleveland, Ohio, Tallahassee, Florida, and Waldo, Florida. Her teaching career ended when she suffered a brain injury in 2002. Michelle trained her rescued pit bull, Amber, to assist her following the brain injury. For many years, Michelle trained family dogs through her company, Gainesville Canine Academy. She focused her training efforts towards service dogs when she met a rescued pit bull who showed great potential to assist her owner the same way Amber assisted Michelle. Michelle founded Service Dogs for Patriots to address the need for trained dogs to assist veterans with PTSD. Michelle shares her life with a delightful beagle mix named Phoebe.
SD Amber, NTD, ITD, CGC, TT Therapy Dog and Service Dog (2004-2018)
Amber was Michelle Dunlap’s service dog after her brain injury in 2002. Amber’s assistance to Michelle is what inspired the idea of training rescued dogs to become service dogs to assist veterans with PTSD.
SD Liberty, CGC
Liberty is the first service dog to be trained by Service Dogs for Patriots. She is currently assisting Army Veteran Chuck Hubert.
Susan Keel is a professional dog trainer and dog behavior consultant. She has served as the Board Secretary since 2015.
Barbara Janowitz is a long-time employee of the University of Florida administering grants, and has served on the board since 2019.
Andrew Poe is a Gainesville, FL business owner with a deep passion for supporting veterans. He began serving on the Board in 2022.
Michelle Dunlap is a Gainesville, FL business owner and dog trainer. She founded Service Dogs for Patriots and has served on the Board since 2015.
Liberty was rescued from the Sumter County Shelter by Phoenix Animal Rescue and adopted by Chuck on September 12, 2015. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2016.
Wendy was rescued from the Levy County Shelter by Phoenix Animal Rescue and adopted by Fred in 2016. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2017.
Cody was rescued from the Bradford County Shelter by Gainesville Pet Rescue and adopted by Jimmy in 2016. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2017.
Shadow was rescued from the Suwannee County Shelter by Gainesville Pet Rescue and adopted by Joel in 2016. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2017. Shadow's training was sponsored by Senior Financial Security in The Villages.
Colleen acquired Artemis from a breeder as a puppy. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2018.
Scout was rescued from the Columbia County Shelter by the Lake City Humane Society, and was initially trained at the RMC Paw Camp in Lake Butler, FL. SD Scout and Felicia completed cooperative service dog training in 2017.
Sarge was rescued by a fellow veteran and adopted by Dale. They completed cooperative service dog training in July 2018. Sarge's training was sponsored by One Team One Fight 4 PTSD.
Remington was a gift to Chris from his wife. They completed cooperative service dog training 2019. Remi's training was sponsored by One Team One Fight 4 PTSD.
Damen was already part of Zach’s family. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2019. Damen's training was sponsored by One Team One Fight 4 PTSD.
Keith adopted Saint from the Humane Society of Marion County. They completed training in 2019. Saint's service dog training was sponsored by Jean Ann Dorrell with Senior Financial Security in The Villages.
Tony was rescued from the Columbia County Shelter by the Lake City Humane Society, and was initially trained at the RMC Paw Camp in Lake Butler, FL. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2019. Tony Stark's training was sponsored by James Coats of Phalanx Defense Systems.
Mindy is from the Marion County Humane Society. They completed cooperative service dog training in 2019. Mindy's training was sponsored by One Team One Fight 4 PTSD.