We would like to thank you for your interest in participating in the Heroes K9 Odyssey Academy program. This academy was established to give second chances; second chances to our nation's heroes and the dogs who were brought into this world and ended up in a rescue by no fault of their own. 

We are currently taking applications for our hybrid program; until we have own facility built, we will be running our program out of The Eagles Healing Nest and The Ranch. This hybrid program will include the “Canine Specialist” online certification education through Stratford Career Institute, and pairing students with a dog to teach and learn from.

We will coach the dogs in AKC Canine Good Citizen expectations, earning the dog the AKC CGC title while giving the human students valuable skills.

Our second phase is to broaden the experience by coaching the AKC Community Canine Good Citizen, which mirrors the skills from CGC but has the dogs utilize those skills in different environments.

This is a 12-week program with an optional 4-week session addressing more advanced skills.

As a part of the application process, you are required to write a letter of intent; that letter should include:

      Why do you want to participate in our program

      Share a memory of a joyful moment with a dog

      Share about a possible negative or upsetting interaction(s) with a dog(s)

      Your personal goals for the future.

We also ask that you answer the question, “What does giving a dog a correction” mean to you?

Being a student at HK9OA requires you to commit to something bigger than yourself, but you need to acknowledge and address your personal needs; sobriety is a must, and it’s a biggy. The Eagles Healing Nest campus is chemical and alcohol-free and we not only respect that, but we will not tolerate any breaches of that rule. Aside from being a rule, sobriety often is a challenge that brings heroes to seeking help and support; as a student at HK9OA, if you are working on sobriety you are expected to seek appropriate support i.e. an AA group, working with your sponsor, etc. Your health and well-being are the most important goals for our program, but you need to take responsibility for setting yourself up for success.

Another expectation of our program is that you are honest. With that being said, you are expected to disclose any and all of your criminal history. We are all humans, and we all make mistakes. The expectation is that we acknowledge our mistakes and learn from them. We will complete a criminal history review on any candidate that progresses through the written application and in-person interview; candidates will be removed from the process if they have crimes of violence or assaults or crimes against animals. We intend to set both the students and dogs up for success, and therefore, we need to ensure that everyone is safe and free from fear. Crimes of violence often stem from anger and aggression issues (What is Violence? Psychology behind violence -/ The Science of Violence), and therefore create a potential negative environment or outcome so we need to protect our participants. If you believe there are extenuating circumstances to any of your history, please talk openly with us about them so we can do what is best for everyone.

You can send your letter of intent to amie@heroesk9odysseyacademy.org

After we review your letter of intent and a determination that this program is a good fit, there will be an in-person interview/discussion with a minimum of 3 other people.

The final step is to have a complete background check.