Hawaii Fi-Do Service Dogs

09/04/2026

SERVICE DOG ETIQUETTE: PART 3
They're a team — treat them like one

When you see a service dog and their handler out together, you're not looking at a person with a pet. You're looking at two working partners, and that dog is on the clock.

That changes how you should approach them.

DON'T:
🚫 Pet or touch the dog unexpectedly
🚫 Make kissy noises, whistle, or call out to get the dog's attention
🚫 Offer the dog food or treats
🚫 Block their path to get a closer look

DO:
✅ Ask the handler first if it's okay to say hello
✅ Respect a "no" — it usually means the dog is working or the handler's on a tight schedule
✅ Talk to the handler, not just the dog
✅ Give the team space to move through a space like anyone else

Here's why this matters more than it might seem: a service dog's attention is part of its job. A distracted dog can miss a seizure alert, misjudge a step, or lose focus during a task that keeps their handler safe. Every unexpected pet, every sudden noise, pulls that dog's focus away from the person who depends on it.

It's not about being unfriendly. It's about understanding that "cute dog" and "working partner" are two different things — and treating the team with the respect that partnership deserves.

09/04/2026

🚑🐾 Training for the unexpected!

At our weekly Thursday training, our future service dogs had a special opportunity to get familiar with a Honolulu EMS ambulance. Honolulu Fire Department HONOLULU EMS

The dogs experienced the sights and sounds of an emergency vehicle up close, including the sirens, equipment, and activity that come with an EMS response.

Exposure like this is an important part of service dog training. Their future partner may someday need emergency medical care or transportation, and in that moment, their service dog needs to remain calm, confident, and focused.

That is why we introduce our dogs to as many environments, sounds, people, and situations as possible. Every new experience helps prepare them for the day someone will depend on them. 💙🐕‍🦺

A huge mahalo to Honolulu EMS for helping our dogs learn and grow!

09/02/2026

📚🐾 Reading is better with a puppy by your side!

Our Hawaiʻi Fi-Do pups don’t just train out in the community- they spend time in local schools, too!

Through our school programs, students get the chance to read to our dogs, spend some quality time with them, and learn a little about what goes into raising and training a future service dog. For our puppies, it’s also valuable training: new people, new environments, new sounds, and lots of little friends! 💛

Programs like these are a win-win: helping keiki build confidence and positive connections while giving our future service dogs another important step in their journey.

09/02/2026

Just a few puppy pics to brighten your week!!!

08/31/2026

🐾 Heroes on Both Ends of the Leash 🇺🇸

We’re honored to have longtime University of Hawaiʻi leader Coach Laura Beeman helping us share the mission of Hawaiʻi Fi-Do Service Dogs.

For 14 years, Coach Beeman led the Rainbow Wahine basketball program, building a legacy centered on leadership, teamwork, and service. Today, she’s lending her voice to another team making an impact across our islands: Hawaiʻi Fi-Do.

We’ve launched our $100,000 fundraising campaign to help train and place life-changing service dogs with veterans, first responders, and Hawaiʻi residents with disabilities — at no cost to the people we serve.

Every donation helps us prepare the next generation of service dogs, support current and future handlers, and expand our impact throughout Hawaiʻi.

There are heroes on both ends of the leash. ❤️🐕‍🦺

Watch Coach Beeman’s message, share our story, and help us reach our goal.

👉 Donate today at HawaiiFiDo.org

08/30/2026

Today, we’re proud to launch Heroes on Both Ends of the Leash — a campaign to help Hawaiʻi Fi-Do raise $100,000 to expand the life-changing reach of our service dogs across the islands.

Every Hawaiʻi Fi-Do dog represents an extraordinary partnership. These dogs support veterans, first responders, keiki, patients, and others who rely on them for greater independence, confidence, comfort, and connection.

Your support will help us train more service dogs, provide long-term support to their handlers, and expand our work into Hawaiʻi DOE schools and healthcare facilities statewide.

Our goal is ambitious, but so is our vision for what these dogs can make possible.

🐾 Help us reach $100,000 and create more heroes on both ends of the leash.

Donate, share, and help us spread the word:
hawaiifido.org/donate

Mahalo for believing in our dogs, our handlers, and the communities they serve. ❤️🐕‍🦺

08/30/2026

🐾 Farm day for our future service dogs! 🐴🐐🐓

This week’s Hawaiʻi Fi-Do training took us to the farm, where our dogs had the chance to experience some new sights, sounds, smells, and, most importantly, new friends!

From horses and goats to all the activity that comes with a working farm, outings like this help our dogs learn to stay calm, confident, and focused in unfamiliar environments. A future service dog never knows where their person’s life may take them, so we work hard to make sure they’re ready for just about anything. 💙

A huge mahalo to everyone who helped make this training adventure possible!

08/28/2026

SERVICE DOG ETIQUETTE: PART 2
What businesses can (and can't) ask

If you run a business, the ADA gives you exactly two questions when a service dog comes through the door. That's the limit — not a suggestion, the actual legal line.

You CAN ask:
1️⃣ Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
2️⃣ What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

That's it. Two questions, and you're done verifying.

You CANNOT:
🚫 Ask about the person's disability
🚫 Require certification or documentation
🚫 Require a vest, harness, or ID tag
🚫 Charge extra fees for the dog

Here's why the law draws the line here: a disability is medical and private. A trained task is observable and answerable. The two questions above give businesses a real way to confirm legitimacy without forcing anyone to explain their medical history to a stranger at the door.

So when CAN a service dog be asked to leave?

Only in three specific situations:
🔸 The dog is out of control and the handler doesn't correct it
🔸 The dog isn't housebroken
🔸 The dog poses a direct threat to health or safety

Notice what's not on that list — being a service dog isn't grounds for removal, and neither is a business owner's discomfort or skepticism. The bar for removal is behavior, not doubt.

And that vest your favorite service dog wears? It's not required by law — it's a courtesy the handler chooses to give you, not a permission slip you get to demand.
Knowing these rules protects everyone: handlers get the access they're legally entitled to, and businesses get a clear, simple standard instead of guesswork.
Stay tuned for Part 3. 🐾

08/26/2026

From tiny paws to a future service dog in training 🐾💛

Summit has grown up right before our eyes! From those first wobbly puppy days to the confident, capable girl she is today, every stage has been part of preparing her for a very important future.

Watching our puppies grow is one of the best parts of the journey- and Summit is just getting started. 🐶✨

08/25/2026

Check out this article about our new Executive Director! Thanks for your support!

Former UH Athletic Director David Matlin joined Hawaiʻi Fi-Do Service Dogs in June as executive director, bringing more than 30 years of leadership…