MobilityDog Community
MobilityDog is grounded in one belief: barrier-free living for all. We empower people to achieve FUNctional independence by building real partnerships with individuals facing mobility challenges and matching them with service dogs and adaptive tools, creating freedom, confidence, and connection so people can move through the world with dignity, strength, and possibility.
Our vision is a world where everyone can live vibrant, independent lives. We bring this vision to life through service dogs, mobility tools, and ongoing support that create a clear, user-friendly path to independence. We don’t just provide services, we open the door for community, together building relationships, breaking down barriers, and empowering independence that is sustainable and meaningful.
Community, advocacy, and education drive everything we do. Each year on the first Saturday of May, we host a family- and friend-friendly A.R.F! Accessibility Resource Fair at Pasadena City Hall, partnering with disability-community changemakers turning access into action. We also host PAWS & WAG Educational Workshops year-round across California. When you support MobilityDog or join our events, you become part of a growing movement for access, belonging, and opportunity for all.
MobilityDog is an Assistant Dogs International Candidate Program.
Click on A.R.F. 2026 poster to learn more!
Click on Raffle Poster to Reserve your Raffle Tickets!
Meet Our Founder
Jackson Hole, Wyomming at the Waffle House
In 2010, a spinal injury could have ended Janie Heinrich’s independence. Instead, she rebuilt her life with her trained service dog Phoebe. She learned a simple truth: the problem isn’t the person’s disability—the problem is the environment that blocks them. That’s why we advocate for barrier-free access.
When Phoebe retired, Janie saw how many people, especially those over 55 and under 30, were denied service dogs and had limited access to mobility tools to become FUNctionally independent. She refused to accept this notion. In January 2018, she founded MobilityDog, a nonprofit that trains service dogs, advocates for people with disabilities and the elderly, presents PAWS & WAG Workshops, and builds a community that says “yes” to inclusion. Barriers disappear through education and understanding, because we all want to be present together. MobilityDog is about community and living your own cadence, using tools that keep you moving.
What moves Janie most is the power of presence: to listen, observe, and truly be there. A service dog senses needs, predicts tasks, and guides pathways so handlers can keep moving forward.
With service dog Beckett by her side, Janie proves that independence isn’t about moving alone; it’s about moving forward together. Janie shares with a smile, “With SD Beckett at my side, I am self-reliant”.
