PAWS Service Dogs, Seizure Response Dogs and Service Dogs for Children with Autism are primarily Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and crosses of the two breeds. PAWS Hearing Dogs may be Retrievers or small breed dogs. Occasionally, PAWS has Poodles or Poodle mixes reserved for clients in need of a hypo-allergenic dog. All dogs must pass specialized health and temperament screenings to be accepted into training.

Most of our dogs come from our own strategic breeding program.

Due to the highly specialized nature of Assistance Dog work, we do not consider a client’s own dog for training.

We do not train dogs to predict seizures, only to respond to a seizure that is happening. PAWS does not train dogs to provide weight-bearing support while walking, but may train a dog to counter-balance for a client needing mobility assistance.

PAWS Dogs have over 40 tasks they could be trained in, including retrieving and delivering dropped items, tugging to remove items of clothing and opening doors. Service Dogs may pull a lightweight manual wheelchair or turn lights on and off. Hearing Dogs primarily alert and orient clients to common sounds. Seizure Response Dogs respond to a client’s seizure by summoning help or providing stimulation. Service Dogs for Children with Autism act as a constant companion to a child to help them improve social, communication and life skills.

*Some tasks have weight restrictions for the safety of the dog.

We do not train Assistance dogs for an individual whose disability is a result of a Traumatic Brain Injury, including strokes.

We do not train Guide Dogs for people who are blind, for diabetic alert/response, to anticipate or detect medical symptoms, for the primary benefit of emotional comfort, to recognize and/or manage undesirable human behavior, to provide supervision, navigation, or safety from environmental hazards, to respond aggressively, to provide personal protection or to assist with the management of mental illness (such as PTSD, etc.) as a primary condition.

People with a physical disability, hearing impairment, seizure disorder or a child with autism who can demonstrate that an Assistance Dog will enhance their independence or their quality of life are qualified to apply. PAWS can only accept a limited number of applications per year from individuals who live in areas serviced by a PAWS Field Representative. Although many individuals with disabilities are eligible and in need of an Assistance Dog, PAWS will determine and select individuals where the tasks provided by PAWS’ highly trained dogs will be of the greatest benefit.

Individuals applying for a Service or Seizure Response Dog must be at least 14 years old with age-appropriate cognitive ability. Those applying for a Hearing Dog must be 18 years or older. with age-appropriate cognitive ability. Application requests may be completed 1 year prior to their 14th/18th birthday. Families applying for a Service Dog for Children with Autism must have a child with autism between 4-12 years old: the application request must be started by 7th birthday; Needs Assessment completed by 9th birthday; placement prior to 12th birthday.

The sponsorship to breed, raise, train, place an Assistance Dog and provide ongoing team support exceeds $35,000. PAWS clients do not pay to receive their Assistance Dogs. There is no insurance or government funding available to sponsor Assistance Dogs. PAWS funding comes from individual donations nationwide.

PAWS promotes a “pay it forward” culture. Once a client achieves certification, we encourage them to consider hosting a Personal Campaign to benefit another client still waiting for a PAWS Dog. We are happy to work with certified clients willing to fundraise on PAWS’ behalf, and have the tools to make it easy.

Accepted clients in the waiting pool for a PAWS Dog who wish to host a Personal Campaign for PAWS may do so. However, it is not a requirement to receive a PAWS Dog, nor will it help a waiting client get a dog more quickly.

For more information on giving to PAWS, click here.

The application form can be located here. There is a $25 fee to submit an application.

PAWS has an open enrollment period each year, during which we accept application requests from early-January to late-March. Individuals that are sent a full application will have until June 1^st to return their completed application.  Once all applications are received, our Client Service team reviews them to determine who will move on to the in-home assessment. If an applicant moves on to the in-home assessment stage, a PAWS Field Representative will meet with the applicant in their home in the fall, typically between September and November. If the applicant is fully accepted to receive a dog our trainers will start looking for a match with the goal of having a dog in the home within the next 18 months.

The time an application is received to the completion of the in-home Needs Assessment can be as long as 24 months. If a client is accepted into the program after the Needs Assessment, they will go into the pool of all clients waiting to be paired with a PAWS Dog. For all clients in the “waiting pool”, the search to find an appropriate dog begins right away. However, depending on the individual needs of the client, and the individual qualities of the dogs in training available, it may take additional time find the right match.

Finding the right dog to match your specific needs, personality and environment is not an exact science. Many factors are taken into consideration, with the ultimate goal being to find the best dog to meet your unique needs. Also, not every dog successfully completes training; sometimes we must start the matching process over.

PAWS does place an Assistance Dog in homes that have cats, birds, or other small caged pets. Effective September 1, 2012, no PAWS Assistance Dog will 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-accredited 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.

Typically, the dogs are 24-36 months old.

Clients must be able to follow through with the in-home and public (if applicable) training process with their local PAWS Field Representative. Clients must be committed to maintaining the dog’s training throughout the lifetime of the team and to providing for the well-being of the dog (veterinary care, proper grooming, exercise, etc.). It is advisable to research yearly veterinary, grooming and feeding costs in your specific area prior to applying for an Assistance Dog. Paws With A Cause provides ongoing training support for its teams.

Yes. The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees the right of a person with a qualifying disability to be accompanied by their individually trained Assistance Animal in public venues. The Fair Housing Act allows for trained Assistance Animals in apartments or other no-pet housing at no additional cost to the person with a disability. More information can be found at www.ada.gov. 

PAWS is able to place dogs where we have Field Representatives. Currently, PAWS is able to placed dogs East of the Mississippi River, and in Arizona