Romy, nobody could not have said it any better. Excellent, excellent post! Not only about the evaluations, but the pitties too.
Honestly, too often people trying to train bully breeds to be service dogs are doing it ONLY for the PR. They aren't the ones using the service dogs, they're only wanting the dogs to get a good reputation. I was SO frustrated when I was trying to find a service dog candidate, and for every realistic suggestion I got at least one "Go to the shelter and pick out a pit bull, they make great service dogs!" Um, no. First off, any pit bull that even remotely fits the breed standards is going to be too short for my needs. That alone is reason enough for me to not use a bully breed. I've also heard horror stories of people traveling to areas with pit bull bans with their pit bull SDs and having them confiscated and destroyed - and only later do authorities ask questions. By that time it's too late, the dog's gone. It doesn't matter if the dog was the best SD that ever existed, it's gone now. Many people are also trying to claim their pets as SDs to get around breed bans.
I know some pit bulls make excellent service dogs. I've met multiple ones myself. But I, personally, don't want to take the risk for a breed that doesn't even fit my needs for a service dog just by virtue of its size. I can't think poorly of anyone else who also chooses to forego that hassle.
This is a bit of a rehash, but if you're good at evaluating, that's not even half the battle. After the dogs are out of the shelter and into homes, many more will wash out as real temperaments come out, many will come up with health problems, and many will be unsuitable for work for other reasons. I know one SD who nearly washed out due to severe allergies - and that dog may still wash out, depending on how treatment goes. Gavroche washed out initially because he has very mild hip dysplasia, and later on when his thyroid function dropped he developed temperament issues - those issues are now sorted out enough for him to be an excellent pet and to compete now and then, but his temperament is no longer even close to being service-dog quality.
So, you might take more than 1/100 out of the shelter to be candidates, but I doubt you'd have a 100% success rate with the selected dogs. I believe the 1/1000 number comes from how many dogs in the shelter would make it all the way to being an SD - including the ones that are not even considered as candidates.
Honestly, too often people trying to train bully breeds to be service dogs are doing it ONLY for the PR. They aren't the ones using the service dogs, they're only wanting the dogs to get a good reputation. I was SO frustrated when I was trying to find a service dog candidate, and for every realistic suggestion I got at least one "Go to the shelter and pick out a pit bull, they make great service dogs!" Um, no. First off, any pit bull that even remotely fits the breed standards is going to be too short for my needs. That alone is reason enough for me to not use a bully breed. I've also heard horror stories of people traveling to areas with pit bull bans with their pit bull SDs and having them confiscated and destroyed - and only later do authorities ask questions. By that time it's too late, the dog's gone. It doesn't matter if the dog was the best SD that ever existed, it's gone now. Many people are also trying to claim their pets as SDs to get around breed bans.
I know some pit bulls make excellent service dogs. I've met multiple ones myself. But I, personally, don't want to take the risk for a breed that doesn't even fit my needs for a service dog just by virtue of its size. I can't think poorly of anyone else who also chooses to forego that hassle.
I wouldn't say 1/1000, or even 1/100. If you're good at evaluating, and you're good at training, far more than that will make the cut.
So, you might take more than 1/100 out of the shelter to be candidates, but I doubt you'd have a 100% success rate with the selected dogs. I believe the 1/1000 number comes from how many dogs in the shelter would make it all the way to being an SD - including the ones that are not even considered as candidates.