About Mel
In 2019, Mel got sick with chronic migraines and soon became disabled. When she noticed Zelda naturally alerting, Mel used her knowledge of service dogs, scent detection, and public access training to refine and proof her natural alert, adding in other skills like light proprioceptive work to help with lingering neurological symptoms.
Mel has been learning about and assisting with service dog training on a selective basis since before 2016, always careful to avoid giving assistance she’s not knowledgeable on, and mostly confining herself to obedience skills and public access skills, with limited coaching on tasks she’s confident of her skills in.
However, with the need out there, and with the first-person impacts from embracing the help offered her by Zelda as her service dog, she’s rounding out her education to have the expertise to confidently offer to service dog training. The effects of having a service dog on her health have been incredible, both measurably and immeasurably (quantitative and qualitative).
Qualifications
- Therapy work and classes since 2011.
- 2012 to current — evaluator for K9to5 National Therapy Dog Registry
- From Feb 2016 to July 2019, offered monthly Service Dog Q&As at the DRHS.
- Since 2011 — Studied (books) — TEAMWORK I and TEAMWORK II by Stewart Nordensson and Lydia Kelley and Working Like Dogs by Marcie Davis and Melissa Bunnell
- Since 2016 — Studied resources from Psych Dog Partners, the ADA, IAADP, Service Dog Central, ADI, service dog handler and trainer groups, and more.
- Since 2020 — Understanding service dogs and service dog work on a deeper level through first-person experience with her own service dog, Zelda.
- 2026 — Took the Atlas Trainer Certification Sampler Course
Looking for the full About Me page? Click here!
Years of Experience Training:
Years Spent (Service Dogs):
Training Professionally:
19
Studying Service Dogs:
10-15
Scentwork/ Scent Detection:
15
First-Hand Service Dog Experience:
06
Soft Mouth Retrieval:
15
Therapy Dogs:
15
About Paw In Hand Sidekicks
Paw In Hand Sidekicks is a new branch of Paw In Hand designed in 2026 to handle the training of and resources for ESAs, therapy dog teams, and service dog teams.
Trust your dog
Why Paw In Hand Sidekicks?
Names are important, and Sidekicks is no exception. “Sidekicks” illustrates the bond Paw In Hand strives for: the teamwork that is so essential to success. The relationship between handler and sidekick is of utmost important, especially with service dog teams.
“Trust your dog” is a saying in the scentwork world, and it’s also guiding wisdom for Paw In Hand, especially in Sidekicks. We need to have our dogs’ trust, but we also need to be able to trust them in return for a cooperative partnership.
Whether service dogs, therapy dogs, or emotional support animals, we’re not interested in coercion, threats, or bribes. We’re interested in building a working relationship, a partnership that both side of the leash feel connected to and invested in. Dogs domesticated themselves to work with people, and Sidekicks celebrates that bond, strengthening it and letting it shine.
Because together, we can do more good.
Communication and Respect bring Trust (to both sides of the leash), and all together become wrapped up in a strong relationship.