Founders

4 Paws for Ability, Inc™, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded by Karen Shirk in 1998 in large part because of the inspiration of her service dog, Ben. Karen considers Ben to have been her co-founder.

She has a BSW (Bachelors Social Work) degree. 4 Paws provides specially trained service dogs for companionship and assistance with independent living to individuals with physical and hidden disabilities.

To read about Karen's children, click here.

Watch the Videos of Ben, the Miracle Dog

• Ben's Story Part 1
• Ben's Story Part 2

Karen is involved in the daily operations of 4 Paws—reviewing applications and interviewing applicants; fielding questions by phone and internet; participating in fundraising programs and activities; selecting dogs for training; performing public relations through personal interviews and provision of promotional information to the media; coordinating care and feeding of animals at her residence and the various satellite locations; performing rescue services; and the varied other requirements necessary to address the daily operational needs of 4 Paws.

As the 4 Paws founder, prior social worker, and an individual with personal experience that dictated training a service dog of her own, Karen Shirk is intimately aware of the special requirements, needs, and considerations of individuals applying for a service dog. Further, she has personal experience training service dogs in addition to being involved in showing German Shepherds.

Her familiarity with the quality, capability, and special attributes relative to the various breeds of dogs enables her to match the proper dog to each Client. She currently volunteers the majority of her time to 4 Paws.

Top of Page