TOP DOG was founded by Stew Nordensson (1937-1999) who was among the first to conceive the idea of teaching people with disabilities how to train their own service dogs. Stew had Cerebral Palsy, a brain injury which affected his speech and muscle control. He was in a wheelchair for most of his life. In spite of such challenges, Stew trained dogs for over 50 years and earned several American Kennel Club degrees--Companion Dog (CD), Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) and Utility Dog (UD), which is the highest level of achievement.
More to the point, Stew also trained and certified four of his own service dogs! Stew knew that if he could do it, he could teach others how to do the same. He has been an inspiration to everyone involved with TOP DOG--staff, students and volunteers alike. TOP DOG would not exist without Stew Nordensson's vision, courage and generosity.

The other co-founders of TOP DOG are Mary George, Lydia Kelley, Kathy Hurst and Diann Belleranti. Mary has Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and has trained and certified three service dogs. She serves on the Board of Directors, instructs, and occasionally serves as a Training Assistant to TOP DOG students. Lydia is the Training Director at TOP DOG. She has trained dogs for over twenty years, instructing with several dog clubs in Tucson. Lydia co-authored the TEAMWORK training manuals with Stew and directed the making of TEAMWORK into video format. She has had several articles published in major dog training magazines, including Off-Lead. Kathy and Diann were instrumental in getting TOP DOG off the ground. Diann's business knowledge helped us find an initial sponsor, and Kathy served as the first Executive Director when we went out on our own.