Jason DeVito is a con artist. Our son with autism developed a seizure disorder and we turned to canines 4 hope to get a seizure detection dog. We were desperate. He showed us this beautiful doodle and we signed on paying almost $20k. The dog that came to us was not trained as a service dog and not even trained as a dog. This dog attacked our other dogs and he blamed us. We sent one of our dogs to "train" with him and I completely regret it. The dog could not go out in public, chewed our furniture and went to the bathroom in the house. We are an extremely dog loving home and it was so hard to send the dog back. That dog was never trained. It cost us so much money and he gave us a sob story when we confronted him. DO NOT get a dog from this man. Our family sincerely regrets it. He is a bad person. read more

Unfortunately, I did not read the reviews before allowing my daughter to get a psychiatric service dog from Jason. The first dog that we drove from NC to FL to purchase, "Decided he wanted a change of career" as I told my daughter. He stopped doing everything after about 9 weeks or so. We were sent home with a protocol list for 6 weeks of what to do with him. After week 3, my daughter said, I thought I was getting a fully trained dog! I said I think this is to teach you what he knows. Naïve me. We were training him. The first week, a washer and dryer were delivered to her house; they were not noisy. The poor dog was in the corner shaking all over. Then we realized that anytime he heard a noise, like a lawnmower being rolled up a trailer ramp, he was terrified. Then she would not go out of the house unless she had to go to the bathroom. For months, I had to push and push to get Jason to meet me in Savannah to get the dog while we waited for the next one; he thought he could fly up and take her home on a plane! Haha; there is no way she would go in an airport. He did not even recognize Jason when he called to her. Months later, we went to Florida again. Great goldendoodle. Again, very little "hand off" or training time with my daughter. Maximum time with us and the dog PER DAY.....1.5 hours....and the last morning, 15 minutes, while he gave me the papers. Mind you, that was another night in a hotel for us; later he blamed me for this because he could have met me after his medical procedure but I said we needed to leave earlier rather than later due to potential crisis at home. Baloney. That procedure took a long time, and I knew what it was and he was not going to be in any condition to meet with us. Back to current dog. A sweetie. Did great, until she did not. She started looking all around instead of tending to my daughter after a few weeks. She started barking. At first, I thought she was protecting my daughter at her house, but the barking became more frequent. When she saw a dog on a walk. At a person in the grocery store who was 10 feet away. By this time, I employed a top notch trainer here. She started barking at him a little the first time and then non stop at the most recent session. We went to a neutral setting. My daughter walked around a fountain with her dog. She barked each time she passed the trainer who was sitting in a chair not even looking at them. Finally he had my daughter circle closer and closer and eventually she stopped barking. My daughter has a developmental disability, PTSD and anxiety. She is more anxious with the dog than she was before. No one should never consider buying a service dog from him. read more

Jason DeVito scammed an autistic girl and her family by saying he was training a "service dog." The dog was malnourished, had worms, a wound, and had no vaccinations when picked up a month early. The dog is skittish and unruly and nothing close to a service dog. And he was inappropriate with the girl as well. read more

Terrible terrible "trainer" after 9k later he promised my special needs daughter a seizure dog. My dog ended up dragging my daughter across the yard when a dog caught his attention. He didn't even do basic training to teach my dog to not get distracted. He got 5k in epilepsy funds to teach my dog seizure alert. My dog does not know how to do this! He is refusing to give me anything back. read more

I give 1 star because "0" stars isn't an option. My God-daughter is in need of a seizure dog and her mother (my dearest friend) paid like $9k. "Training" was subpar at best. I even read the reviews to get an idea as to if this could have been a "one time thing"... NOPE. I Encourage people, don't enable this guy. until this business changes ownership and proves to the people that they are here to do the service they promise, let the bus die. this is sad. Because now my niece is STILL in need of a seizure dog (she is 8) and we still have to take MORE time to train her pup. So that's MORE time she has to go without this important piece to her life. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. I contacted Jason Devito after having a diabetic coma. I live alone and was in desperate need of a solution. I've always wanted a diabetic alert dog, but never pulled the trigger due to high costs. In July 2017 I made the investment for a diabetic alert dog through Canines 4 Hope. I provided my own 6 month puppy, Onyx, to be trained. I thought Onyx was neutered after I adopted him and advised Mr. Devito of his health and had his original owner's vet provide Mr. Devito with Onyx's records. Mr. Devito provided me with a contract stating competencies he would train Onyx, including public access, scent alerting, pressure therapy, and basic obedience. I did my research on a trainer and I believe Mr. Devito has previous operated under other names to hide his history. When I dropped Onyx off in July 2017, Onyx weighed 60 pounds. When I picked him up in December 2017 he weighed 64 pounds. I immediately took him to the vet, only to learn he had Giardia parasite and was in fact never neutered. This was unnoticed by Mr. Devito or his staff, who claimed to be with Onyx training everyday. Onyx has never alerted me; Mr. Devito claims this is because I am not an alpha pack leader. Onyx is unable to be in public as he is scared of children and will react accordingly; he will also bark, charge, and cry at other animals. He was never trained on public access. Onyx is barely obedient to basic commands. He had never been up or down stairs! I followed up remotely with Mr.Devito and flew to Florida in May 2018 for help from Mr.Devito. He insisted that it was my leadership skills although he saw Onyx charge at a target worker (someone in public minding their own business). Onyx charges and defends himself because he is terrified from whatever he was exposed to under Canines 4 Hopes care. I contacted Mr. Devito and BBB in August 2018 demanding a refund and my vet bills paid. I was advised by Mr. Devito that he would like Onyx assessed by an organization before he will compensate me for vet fees and training. No organization will accept Onyx when they learn of his history. I've provided vet bills and written assessment, and have gone without answers or refund. Please look at these pictures of Onyx- ANIMAL CRUELTY AND NEGLECT. Do not trust this business. Look at my poor abused Onyx- skin and bones and terrified. I want a refund by end of this year (highly unlikely Jason Devito will even respond) or I will persue aggressive actions. I would be dead if I relied on this dog to alert me. read more

Canines 4 Hope - Pet Training Near Me - Stuart, Florida

This is our second dog from Canines 4 hope. She has made a huge positive difference in the life of her handler (my partner). We've had her since 2020 and take her everywhere with us. She goes on planes (she loves to fly!) we put her on her "place" a mat on the floor of the plane at our feet. She has been with her handler in the hospital, both with him as the patient and visiting when I was a patient. Doctors offices, elevators, restaurants, stores, and plays. The only public access issue we've had in 4 years was at a very loud music venue with strobe lights and she couldn't deal with the noise so we left. She is NOT a pet, she is a "medical device", she has been trained to respond to her handler's specific needs and they now work well together. This didn't happen over night, she and her handler had to learn to work together. In addition to the training at Canines 4 Hope that Jason provided, we followed the "at home" training program he provided with the dog. I really think we got trained as much as the dog did. We've found having a service dog isn't a "one and done" for training, it's an on-going process for both the handler and the dog. We are very pleased with the training she got with Jason and crew and continue to refer to the written training guide as needed. She is a wonderful addition to our lives read more

I got my Malone from Canines 4 hope five years ago. He has been a lifesaver. He goes with me everywhere and everyone always comments on how well trained he is. He has stayed with me in the hospital and alerted the nurse when I was having a seizure. He has changed my life. My PTSD and Asperger's syndrome had kept me from doing so many things. With Malone at my side I have been able to go back to school and get a great job. Thank you Jason for all you have done. read more

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Jason and Laura are incredibly talented, thoughtful and kind - I would highly recommend them and their services.

The owner of the business, Laura, at Canines 4 Hope, has responded, and though she has violated my privacy by using both my first and last name, I feel the need to defend myself and respond to her accusations, which of course, I can prove with documentation. Let me preface this by saying that her husband, Jason, was the person I dealt with at the business, not Laura. I agree, that the contract stated that 'there is no guarantee the dog would early detect a seizure'. That is not, and has not, been my complaint. The dog was trained, allegedly, for 'seizure response', to which the dog did nothing of. Therefore, the clause in the contract is inaccurate because you have excluded before and during, to which the 'response' never happened. Laura stated that I 'had such limited experience handling a dog', which is inaccurate as well. Laura claims there were 8 months of documented training. Training that has never been corroborated or documented and provided to me. It would have been nice, and good business practice to do so, but they have avoided that. Laura claims that even though our dog was done with being trained at their facility, the training with Canines4Hope was far from being completed. This is a false statement, and I have nothing in writing stating this. It's a nice thought, thought never communicated to me. I insisted that Jason was not allowed in my home without witnesses and supervision. That wasn't accepted by Jason. Laura claims that they offered for a trainer to be sent to my house to further training and this is inaccurate as well. Laura claims that I 'insisted on keeping the dog' after learning that she wasn't trained. This is, in fact, a completely false statement, and I suggest Laura discuss this with her husband. I have, in writing, a statement where I didn't want to rip the new dog away from the family, especially from a "special needs child that has bonded with the dog", and I would gladly accept a refund of the training, excluding the cost of the dog. Laura claims that I threatened the 'well being of her family'.. Again, inaccurate. Jason was my point of contact. I had no knowledge, nor do I care, about the rest of their family. Laura claims that I 'NEVER wanted to pay for my service dog and did not have intentions of attempting to have a well trained animal....' I paid Jason $9k UP FRONT, desperate for help. And paid the $4k balance on pickup without complaint. I asked for a partial refund when the dog was not house-broken, was untrained even in the most basic obedience skills, and was not trained for public access as she should have been. I asked for the remainder of the training costs after our 'seizure response' dog did NOTHING while my son was having a grand-mal seizure, which required EMS. I feel as though Laura is teetering on a slippery slope of false statements, accusations, and slander, that could jeopardize both her and her husband's business going forward. They've also been offensive, inaccurate, and absurd. I am looking forward to both my refund, as well as a heartfelt apology for both the lack of training as well as the offensive comments Laura has made. read more

Don't ignore the bad reviews like I did. I went to Canines 4 hope in confidence that this was a great place to do business with. But I was wrong. When going there for the first time to meet Jason, he showed me some dogs to choose from and the one I had chosen was a dog who originally belonged to someone else, but that person returned the dog. He explained this to me after I had told him that's the dog I wanted. I also wanted to make sure that there was no risk of me having to return the dog if the previous owners had a change of heart. He assured me that the dog was his and that there was no risk of having to return him. I spent two months driving two hours to Palm city and two hours back home. A total of 4 hours out of my day for two months to learn how to maintain the dog. The week of that I was finally going to bring the dog home with me, Jason calls me and tells me that he can't give me the dog because the family wanted him back. I had just spent $400 on toys, food, bed, crate, and treats for The dog that week. So as you guessed, I was distraught to have Jason tell me this. I was very confused at the time, mainly from the fact he had assured me that this wouldn't happen. I went to see Jason to speak with him in person because I wasn't understanding why this was happening. In the end, it was bad business in his end. When he originally showed me the dog, the dog had just been returned and Jason had promised the family that he would hold on to him for a few weeks in case they changed their minds. Plus he mentioned he didn't give the family a refund. So afraid of getting into a lawsuit with this family, he decided to return the dog. Now after 3 months Jason came in contact with me saying that the family doesn't want the dog anymore and how he can sell me the dog for sure this time. I refuse to do business with him and don't recommend you do as well. I believe Jason has no integrity when doing business. read more

Frienly and caring staff. Trained my Rocky beautifully and with great knowledge.Clean and spacious environment.Highly recommend canines for hope. Mia read more

Although We live in Germany, we wanted the best service animal trainer regardless of distance. we worked with doctors and medical dog experts to obtain the best research results. This included contact with actual client and owners of SA dogs. Hands-down, Canines4hope was the name that came up as the best place to go for detailed medical or work dog training! Germany is very far from Florida, but I was told the training the dog would receive would be worth it. THEY WERE RIGHT! THE TRAINING OF THIS ANIMAL HAS GIVEN MY CHILD SECURITY, HAPPINESS AND LIFE! It would take days to explain everything the canines4hope training of this dog has done to enhance the very being of our entire family. My daughter and her assistant can go out of the house now without me, and with the canines4hope trained dog, SHE WAS ABLE TO RETURN TO THE CLASSROOM - JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! While I will say that Mr JASON is not the "beg for your biz" type, 1) he will tell you the truth about your situation (should you want him to turn a old beloved house pet into a Service Animal like I did prior to getting this Poodle who was never a pet)- ITS JUST NOT POSSIBLE WITH ANY AND ALL DOGS. BE THANKFUL BECAUSE HIS HONESTY OR SUGGESTION THAT YOU ACCEPT ANOTHER DOG COULD SAVE THE LIFE OF YOUR DISABLED LOVED ONE AND EVEN SAVE YOU FROM A DOGGY LAWSUIT. 2) you will not find a person and crew better and kinder to disabled people- JASON has an adorable child of his own that deals with disabilities 3) JASON AND HIS STAFF KNOW DOGS AND TRAIN THEM WITHOUT PUNISHMENT OR ABUSE. I personally did not always like or want to accept what they would say to me, but every dog-gong time it would turn out that they were absolutely right. 4). And most importantly, Jason and the staff were SO SO KIND AND GENTLE WITH TEACHING MY DAUGHTER HOW TO HANDLE THE DOG! As for the negative reviews, I will bet they're loving persons in conflict (LIKE I WAS) with acceptance of the trainer evaluations. THIS IS A VERY EMOTIONAL PROCESS, AS IT OFTEN DEALS WITH THE LIFE OF THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY SUFFERING OR BEING MISUNDERSTOOD BY SOCIETY, but I beg of any negative person(s) to please reconsider because your review could prevent some disabled child or person from receiving the blessings, independence, and security canines4hope can bring to someone really in need. THESE GUYS EVEN HELPED WITH A PLAN OF FUNDING AND HAVE OFFERED ANIMALS FREE OF CHARGE- CANINES4HOPE IS TRULY NEEDED. We don't need to become BFFs with the trainer, but given the current war on SA and the unseen DISABILITIES community, WE NEED THE BEST TRAINING AND THAT IS CANINES4HOPE. read more

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Canines4hope trained my seizure dog so well, my doctor's office has recommended Canines4hope to other patients. Thank you Mr Jason!

SAVE YOUR MONEY! If I could give him a 0 stars, I would! Jason is a conn artist who will sell you a "service dog" that my as well be your pet. When I got Lucy, I questioned her training from the beginning. She barley could handle the public. She would turn around and face me rather than walking with me in public especially if in large groups. When you want a service dog for your disability all you think about is getting that dog to help you, not question things or ask questions. One of the biggest red flags I should have seen was him suggesting me to bring Benadryl when I took her home the first time. Why would I need it? she is suppose to be a "service dog". Through the whole training to me, he would ask if I watched the Dog whisper to help learn. That should have been the 2nd red flag...why would I have to learn off of a youtube vs. personally. She peed in our floor multiple times at the beginning. I have had a dog in the past and would take her out multiple times with no problem. some how he blamed it on me not taking her out enough. She was limited only water 4 times a day of what he said and wrote on my sheet. I had to undo that because of living in Florida heat, and because she fainted within the first few weeks. I even had to put water in her food just so she would. I had to teach her how to lay on my chest..not Jason. I also had to hire a dog trainer. She was always slow when she walked. She always barked at big people like Jason. I would be curious because of his training techniques. She barks at black dogs and black people. She barks at people with glasses, hats, chemo masks, and that are tall. That next day I scheduled her for an xray and cardiology test. Sure enough she had severe hip displatia,heart mur mur, a lot of allergies. Ask him where hes getting his dogs. I found out through research of the name sho me labs in Missouri on the paper work he gave me, that he got her from was a huge puppy mill and explained all the problems. Especially health from over bred. The breeder has been investigated by the humane society look into it for underfed, small crates, horrible conditions,and other aggressive dogs. I love Lucy, so I would never give her back , i am so angry that I never got a xray from him or cardiology test to show her health. most REAL facilities will do that. Hei isl selliing disabled dogs to disabled people and such short training to be classified as a "service dog". Question where they are coming from, question for x ray and cardiology tests, question how many hours they train with your dog, ask to see the environment they live in,Don't let this man conn you too! read more

I was desperate when I made my decision to find a trained service dog. The desperation didn't allow me to see all of the red flags, until I met Jason. I don't think Jason means harm, but he does not know the difference between obedience training and service dog training. He doesn't know anything about seizure training and does not know the difference between an emotional therapy dog and a service dog. Jason should not be advertising assistance dogs. This could end up getting dangerous when someone needs help and the dog is not properly trained to respond. I was not feeling well the afternoon I met Jason. I have epilepsy and I take meds, but I feel spacey sometimes. I was feeling out of it when Jason said in a harsh tone, "I don't like how you are with the dog." He wanted me to be on the floor playing with the dog. I wanted to do that and I also wanted to ask Jason questions so that I was well-informed. Jason is very vague in his responses, so perhaps he didn't like my specific questions. Jason was very condescending towards me, badmouthed his staff, and spoke very negatively about families who had children with special needs. I was very uncomfortable. I did a good amount of research and spoke with several professionals before writing the rest of my review: Research from canine cognition experts: Temperament of a service dog: Calmness, evidence of curiosity, calmness in transition to new environments, motivation during training, not showing anxiety. Training environment: hygienic environment and proper nutrition. What I saw: No calmness, very excitable, Jason said the dog would take at least a month to be comfortable in the new environment and would be anxious. Jason had to tell the dog to sit three times and had to repeat the command "no bite" several times. When I was to bond outdoors with the dog, the dog wanted to sleep. The dog was panting, he seemed exhausted and we hadn't done anything yet. The environment I saw: The dog that was too thin, and had marks on it. Jason said the marks were from "wear". This was a young dog. I've had dogs before and even in their later years, never saw this. I asked if I could see where the dogs slept and he said they were all resting, so I couldn't. Jason said I could leave the dog in a crate for up to six hours a day. I have never heard of this before. Also, I was looking to get a service dog that could be with me during the day. When I was originally sent a picture of the dog, it had a metal collar around its neck attached to a chain. I am embarrassed to write this, that I didn't stop there with this process. It was a major red flag. I tried to convince myself that this was okay. I was also surprised with how few staff were on the facility. At one point there was only one person. Research from individual trainers who specialize in service dog training and from speaking with nonprofit service dog organizations: What service dog training really is: -A rigorous program. Up to 70% of dogs are not able to complete the training. -After socialization and obedience training, dogs then have service dog training, so it's a longer process. - A dog is trained in specific tasks for an individual. - A dog works as a service dog for a certain amount of years but then needs to retire and becomes a pet. What I saw: -No distinction between obedience and service dog training. I was just handed a packet photocopied from a book on basic obedience. -When I asked if the dog had training in seizure response, Jason said, "we had someone move around on the ground to see how he would respond." When I asked more specifically, can the dog respond to seizures? He said, "I don't know, you'll have to see." -I have since found out that seizure response training is not a very difficult thing to train. -Seizure alerting cannot be trained; it is an innate behavior. But this is advertised on Jason's website. -Instead of specific tasks, Jason said the dog would be good for my seizures because of the release of oxytocin and the decrease in cortisol. Unfortunately for Jason, I study oxytocin. Interactions between dogs and humans cause oxytocin release in both species. I do not need to pay money for a dog to have a release of oxytocin and a decrease in cortisol. I could get this response from a shelter dog . - Jason did not know that a service dog needs to retire. Don't get scammed. If you are looking for a service dog here are some ideas: -Contact Assistance Dog International (ADI) This is nonprofit. Yes, waiting lists are long, but it's a good resource. -Search for scientists who study Canine Cognition. See if they have trainers they work with. -Be specific when you ask a trainer about the tasks they can train. -Don't be fooled when a trainer has logos from different organizations on their website. Look them up to see what they mean. And remember the for profit service dog world is not regulated AT ALL. read more

Jason DeVito came to my home to train my dog. In just one visit he trained my dog to not jump on people and not to run out the door! Amazing! The dog whisperer of Stuart FL! read more

Canines 4 Hope - Canines 4 Hope Dog Trainers Stuart Florida (772) 631-4931 - Pet Training Near Me - Stuart, Florida