How a Service Dog Became an Unlikely Leadership Coach

When you spend as much time around dogs as we do, you learn quickly that they have a lot more to teach us than most people believe. In this week’s episode of Dog Works Radio, we explore that idea in a deeper, more personal way with guest Dr. Lisa DeVore, whose new book Paw Prints on Leadership was inspired by her service dog, Bailey.

Bailey wasn’t a planned addition to Lisa’s life. He was a stray who followed her home in Colorado and eventually became the dog that helped her manage anxiety, travel the world, and find her footing in both everyday life and a demanding career working alongside engineers as a contractor in South Korea.

Over the years, Robert and Lisa trained, traveled, and problem-solved together as Bailey grew from a chaotic young dog into a certified psychiatric service dog. Those moments, the training wins, the public access challenges, the flight across the Pacific, the setbacks, the breakthroughs, became the foundation for a leadership book Lisa didn’t know she was going to write.

And then Bailey passed away.

Two in the morning, the day after, Lisa woke up with perfect clarity: this was her doctoral project. Not a traditional dissertation, but a book about the leadership lessons Bailey had taught her. The book follows their journey and maps those moments onto core ideas like approachability, shared leadership, accountability, and presence.

In our conversation, Lisa explains how Bailey became both her partner and her teacher. She describes the give-and-take of the leash, the idea that sometimes a leader guides, and sometimes the leader follows, and how that realization reshaped the way she coached teams, made decisions, and navigated conflict.

This episode isn’t just about service dogs. It’s about what we learn when we slow down and pay attention. It’s about resilience, teamwork, and the ways dogs bring out our best when they show up for us without judgment.

If you’re someone who works with dogs, works with people, or simply wants to understand service dogs in a more grounded, human way, this episode is worth the listen.

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If you’re considering a service dog or already planning for one, book a free strategy call with us. We’ll answer your questions, map out the right training path, and help you get started the right way, especially if you’re welcoming a new dog during the holiday season.