Hidden Gems: Meet Farrah Fry-Ettlin of Endless Pawsibilities Service Dogs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Farrah Fry-Ettlin.

Hi Farrah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started out cleaning kennels at Vet’s offices in high school, made my way through college (creating a K9 Learning Theory Degree as well as completing a Psychology degree) while also attending dog training school and volunteering as a Search and Rescue K9 handler. I built up my business in Ohio and then moved it to Aspen around 10 years ago. In 2020 I founded our nonprofit sister company, Endless Pawsibilities Service Dogs, to help locals with disabilities acquire Service Dogs and Service Dog training at reduced or no cost.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Founding the nonprofit during the covid lockdown was great! 😉 I had the time to work on all the paperwork, build the website and marketing materials, and design programs. However, I quickly found out that I didn’t know what I didn’t know with regards to how a nonprofit differs from a for-profit business. I’m still learning as we go, sometimes learning things the hard way, but I’m super grateful for those who have stuck with me through the hard times and are helping support this organization.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our nonprofit’s mission is to help people with disabilities gain more freedom through the use of highly trained Service Dogs, home-raised and individually task-trained for their human individual needs. Our focus is on residents of the Roaring Fork Valley. Our pups are raised by professional trainers, which has many benefits! Our puppy raiser/trainers can see any budding issues and change them before it becomes a big problem, which increases the success rate of our pups passing certification. We can usually have our dogs ready to place quicker than if they’re raised by nonprofessionals. Focusing on locals, our applicants can participate in our program (helping socialize the pups, cleaning kennels, and handling the pups in training classes) which helps us get to know each other as we go through the process of determining their needs and which dog may be the best fit. In working with our pups, applicants are helping each other by working with a pup that will be placed with someone else, but also they are likely working with a pup that would eventually become their Service Dog!

Our program works on a sliding scale: participants can pay what they are able for our services and can apply for a scholarship for what they can’t afford. Being a newer nonprofit, our greatest need is donations to be able to accommodate scholarship requests.

How do you think about happiness?
When I see the joy in our participant’s faces as they work with our pups! We have an applicant with psychiatric issues, including severe depression. When this person has been in recently working with our pups, the joy on their face is contagious. To know that these dogs can make such a huge impact on a person’s quality of life, independence, and well-being is what keeps me going every day!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.epservicedogs.org
• Instagram: @ep.servicedogs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EndlessPawsibilitiesServiceDogs