The 2024 Client Application Request Form is now open!

*Please click here before completing the application to ensure that we serve your specific area.

Thank you for your interest in receiving a PAWS Assistance Dog! In an effort to better meet the needs of our future and current clients, PAWS has an annual open application request time period for all first-time applicants from January to March. During this time, you will be able to fill out our Client Application Request Form for a non-refundable $25 fee that covers the cost of processing applications. This form is not a full Assistance Dog Application.

After filling out this form, our Client Services team will review your request to ensure that you meet our baseline client qualifications. If your application request was accepted, you will receive the full application via email. If PAWS is not able to meet your needs, you will be notified and our team will share other Assistance Dog programs that may be able to help.

PAWS provides Service Dogs to help with physical disabilities, Hearing Dogs to alert to common environmental sounds, Seizure Response Dogs to aid during or after seizures, or Service Dogs for Children with Autism. Please check our website for the qualifications to receive each type of Assistance Dog and for additional program requirements. At this time, PAWS does not train Psychiatric Service Dogs to assist with PTSD, anxiety, or depression, or Diabetic Alert Dogs.

If you currently have or have had a PAWS Assistance Dog and are in need of a Successor Dog, please contact PAWS directly by calling 616-877-7297 or emailing us at csdirect@pawswithacause.org.

Please be aware that in order for PAWS to place an Assistance Dog with you, we must have a local Field Representative in your area and that coverage is subject to change at any time.

*If you are part of an organization and interested in applying for a PAWS Facility Dog, please click HERE.

Client Application Request Form

Client Application 2024

All fields are required.

If someone in your immediate family is a veteran please check all that apply.
Applicant Address
City
State/Province
Zip/Postal

Please understand that due to the increased demand for Assistance Dogs nationwide, the demand far outweighs the supply. Not everyone that applies will be able to receive a PAWS Assistance Dog. The $25 application fee is nonrefundable.

Please answer the following questions regarding your ability to provide and care for an Assistance Dog, which may weigh as much as 90lbs.

A PAWS Assistance Dog will not be placed in a home with any other dog, unless it is a retired PAWS Dog or working Assistance Dog from an Assistance Dogs International or International Guide Dog Federation-accredited agency for someone else in the household. It has been our experience that other dogs in the home can interfere with the bonding and training process of the Assistance Dog Team.
Paws With A Cause is frequently asked if we have any non-shedding or hypoallergenic dogs. Before we answer the question, it helps to know what the inquiries mean by the term and why they are asking. Some people are looking for no or low-shedding dog because they do not want dog hair on their clothes/rugs/furniture, etc. Others have allergies - or family members with allergies - and are looking for what is commonly know as a "hypoallergenic dog." Contrary to popular belief, a dog's hair is not the primary problem for most people with dog allergies. Dog dander and saliva, which sticks to the dog's hair and are shed into the home or transferred to human skin or clothing when the dog is touched, are the chief allergens for most people. To help those with dog allergies, baths will reduce the allergen problem for all types of dogs. Generally, a larger dog will produce more dander than a smaller one; and a dog that barks frequently may disperse more saliva and dander into the air than a quiet dog. But there are also breed differences in the amount of allergens produced and in the amount of hair the dog will shed.
Is anyone in the household allergic to dogs?
Do you need a hypoallergenic dog?
I acknowledge that I was born before March 31, 2007. *
Hearing Loss: Which type of hearing loss have you been diagnosed with?
Hearing Loss: Do you have a preference for dog size?
I acknowledge I was born before March 31, 2011. *
Seizures: Have you been diagnosed with epileptic seizures?
Seizures: I understand that a PAWS Seizure Response Dog does NOT predict seizures.
Seizures: I understand that a PAWS Seizure Response Dog will NOT provide protection.
Seizures: I understand that a PAWS Seizure Response Dog will NOT guide me to safety.
Seizures: I understand that a PAWS Seizure Response Dog will NOT roll me over.
Autism: Has your child been diagnosed with Autism?
I acknowledge that my child was born AFTER March 31, 2017. *
Autism: My child exhibits (check all that apply)
Autism: My child is currently in (check all that apply)

Application Fee

There is a $25 fee to request a new client application.
I acknowledge that I have reviewed the coverage map/areas that PAWS serves and that my $25 application fee is non refundable *
Billing Address
Billing Address
City
State
Zip
Credit Card
Credit Card
CVV (3-digit security code from back of card)