Check Out Suzanne Aaron’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Suzanne Aaron.

Hi Suzanne, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Tails of Hope Service Dogs is committed to creating strong and enduring partnerships between service dogs and the people who need them in their lives. This mission is what drives our leaders and volunteers to put forth their efforts in accomplishing this objective. Our programs and services are targeted to facilitate and support every phase of the partnership process starting with finding the right dog for a client, providing the training and support they need to be successful and culminating with supporting their ongoing journey as they navigate their lives.
Tails of Hope (TOH) was officially formed in 2020 as a sister organization to another 501(c)(3), Coco’s Cupboard, Inc., a highly successful animal welfare organization started in 2010, that provides support to TOH. Coco’s Cupboard’s vision is “a world in which no dog or cat is disposable.” Practically speaking, this means that they take action to prevent unplanned breeding, provide help with keeping pets in homes that are financially distressed and rehabilitate and rehome pets that are abandoned or abused.

In 2013, Coco’s began partnering with a local group whose mission was to assist military service members and veterans lead healthy and productive lives by connecting those who were wounded, suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injury with ADA-compliant service dogs. This group needed someone to supply and train the dogs for their program so they turned to Suzanne whose private business, TAO K9 Unleashed, is a premier dog training company in the southern suburbs of Atlanta. It was a marriage made in heaven for the lucky dogs and their heroes.

As the Coco’s Cupboard volunteer base and service dog impact grew significantly in 2015 and 2016, they were able to develop relationships in the rescue community, proactively save dogs from euthanasia and target some of the dogs as potential service dogs. Fayette County Animal Control, for example, took the time to learn the qualifications to look for in potential service dogs and began calling Coco’s Cupboard with candidate dogs who were at risk. Some of these dogs who were minutes, hours or days from euthanasia are now serving happy and productive lives as service animals.
Coco’s growth and success in the service dog arena also brought non-veterans to their door. In order to serve these new audiences, they separated from the veterans-only service dog organization and formed Tails of Hope Service Dogs in 2020. TOH is all-inclusive, serving military veterans, first responders and everyday adults and children. TOH service dogs are in the field doing everything ranging from monitoring a diabetic child’s blood sugar, ‘sweeping a room’ for a veteran with PTSD or helping a young autistic girl cope with bullying in her school. With few exceptions, these wonderful dogs have historically come from Coco’s Cupboard where they are individually selected and prepared for their lives in service. We at TOH love the idea of taking a dog that was abandoned or surrendered and giving him or her a new life in service; we call it “changing lives at both ends of the leash.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No! Struggles include (but not limited to… lol) Financial hardships and donations, over abundance of abandoned animals, expansion of volunteer and foster base…

Non profits in general come with challenges. We are very blessed to have a wonderful team however, we are constantly looking for more volunteers for a variety of areas – from working in thrift store, to fostering, to training dogs, to helping with kitties.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe that a large amount of the homeless pet population is a direct result of lack of training, both owners and pets, and I am a firm believer that proper training is the key to creating a harmonious human/k9 relationship. I haves bred, raised, and trained dogs for 30+ years. More than a decade ago. I left a hectic professional career in to work with dogs full time. I currently wear many hats, including managing a dog daycare facility, as well as owning TAO K9 Unleashed Dog Training and heading Tails of Hope Service Dogs and Coco’s Cupboard, Inc.

One of the things that sets us apart is that many of our volunteers were former dog training clients. they see everything we do and fall in love with the mission. Many of them are now coaches in our service dog program.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Surround yourself with good people and always stay rooted in your beliefs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cocoscupbaaordinc.org , tailsofhope.com , and taok9unleashed.com
• Instagram: @cocos_cupboard_inc , @tailsofhopeservicedogs , and @taok9unleashed
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CocosCupboard , facebook.com/TailsofHopeServiceDogs , and facebook.com/taok9
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/hJsn687FsA0 and https://youtu.be/hJsn687FsA0