Hey! I'm Lauryn, the passionate founder of Service Paws For Awareness (SPAW), a mission-driven organization dedicated to enhancing the bond between humans and animals through proper education, training, and certification. With over four years of experience working in a pet store, I have developed a deep appreciation for the emotional and psychological impact animals have on people's lives.Over the past year, I have personally trained four service dogs, witnessing firsthand the incredible benefits they can provide to their handlers. However, this journey also revealed a concerning gap in public understanding regarding the differences between pets, Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), and trained service animals. Too often, untrained or misrepresented animals have posed risks in public settings—ultimately doing more harm than good to the individuals they were meant to help.