How Can A Dog Change Your Life?
Learn about the wonderful dogs and training programs offered to those in need of a well-trained, certified service dog!
CERTIFIED SERVICE DOGS FOR THOSE IN NEED
WELCOME
A Service Dog can bring life-changing assistance to someone with a disability. We're here to help.
Our Programs
Autism Assistance Programs
Autism Service Dogs are not only a living miracle to the disabled child, but also to the entire family. These special dogs are trained to assist the child, and the parents of the child, in a variety of ways.
Types of Assistance
Tether Training: If your child has a tendency to dart away from you, or if you have trouble holding on to your child for guidance, our dogs can be trained to assist in a form of guidance themselves.
Alert: Some children with autism demonstrate repetitive behaviors such as flailing their arms, hitting various surfaces, stomping their feet, etc. Parents often say that just a simple touch to their child’s arm will interrupt these behaviors so the child is redirected. Our dogs can be trained to recognize these signs from the child, and paw at their leg to interrupt the behavior.
Social Bridge: Children with autism have shown enormous improvement with social skills, communication, and even facial recognition when placed with an assistance dog. Our dogs wear a special identifying vest when out in public with the child, which labels the dog as an Autism Service Dog. When individuals notice the “ask to pet me” inscribed on the vest, the child is invited to communicate about their dog. In the beginning the descriptions are simple, such as the name of the dog, the color of the dog, etc., but over time, discussions become more complex as the child explains how the dog helps him, and what they like about their dog.
Friendship: Dogs are not judgmental, and they accept us for who we are. They are a constant companion offering unconditional love and devotion. Above all the other ways a service dog can help, this is perhaps the most beneficial.
Is an Autism Assistance Dog Right for My Child?
In order to receive an Autism Service Dog from Dawgs 2 Heal, you must:
- Have a child with autism to the extent that the disability hinders the aspects of day-to-day life.
- Be willing to be the handler and leader of the dog for your child. Your child cannot handle the dog alone.
- Have a family that loves dogs.
- Have patience to work through problems (even a trained dog is still a dog).
- Have finances to provide your dog with veterinary care and maintenance for the next 10-12 years.
Handler Training: Handler training is where the parent of the autistic child learns how to work with the dog as a team. This generally takes 14 days, with training every day. This is when the dog learns to respond to the commands of the handler, and when the handler learns how to reinforce the training that the dog has already received. We cover practical, day-to-day life experiences so you will feel confident taking the dog into your care.
After the completion of Handler Training, we work together on a series of field tests, which are administered by the trainer. After graduation, you and your dog will be certified as a working team. In order for your dog to be granted legal public access, the dog must be accompanied by your autistic child, and yourself. A certification card will be provided to the handler, as well as a service dog vest and identification tag for your dog, which labels him or her as a service animal.
We have a lifetime commitment to each recipient and each dog that we place. Once you and your dog have graduated, we maintain contact to ensure your dog’s training and assistance remains intact, that the dog remains healthy and happy, and that the dog is improving your quality of life.
Our service dogs in training
'Corey
'Corey
'Corey
Corey is an outgoing and eager-to-please puppy that is now in our public access training program.
Ever
'Corey
'Corey
Ever is a beautiful puppy with a sweet disposition. She has started our public access training and will be entering our autism program in the coming months.
Gamora
Gamora
Gamora
Gamora is a quite soul. She has started public access training and will be advancing into our autism program soon!
Marg
Gamora
Gamora
Marg is a very curious and outgoing puppy; very eager to learn new things. She starts our public access training shortly.
before you apply
What are the steps involved in receiving an Autism Service Dog?
CURRENTLY, WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS !
- Send us an email, using the contact form on the next pages. We will send you a more detailed application form.
- In the application, we will ask you to send in a Personal Referral and Medical Documentation: If your application looks like a good fit, we will reach out in 1-3 weeks and ask for these documents to be submitted.
If accepted, we will contact you to schedule a phone consultation: The consultation is an average of 30 minutes during which we discuss realistic expectations of how a service dog can assist you, and to make sure you are a good fit for one of our dogs.
The agreement: If we believe one of our service dogs can assist you, we will write out a customized agreement and ask you to review your final decision with friends and family.
Return your agreement with your $500.00 minimum deposit, to be added to our waiting list: The deposit is your sign to us that you are committed to the program.
Fundraising: Organizations nationwide spend an average of $50,000 on each service dog trained. The average service dog graduates with over 600 hours of training, and with that expense also comes veterinary care, boarding, grooming and training supplies.
Because of the commitment of all our wonderful volunteers, Dawgs 2 Heal spends $30,000 per dog. This is an expense covered through fundraising. We ask our recipients to be responsible for the first 1/3 of the expense, which is $10,000. This is usually covered through fundraising, and we are happy to help guide you through that process.
Dog Selection and Specialized Training: Once the funds are met, regardless of how the funds were raised, we move you to the second part of our waiting list where you are a priority for dog placement. This is when we choose a dog from our training program that has the natural propensities to assist in the ways needed for your disability, and we continue any additional specialized training needed specifically for your needs.
Handler Training: During handler training we work with you, one-on-one and show you how to reinforce the training your dog has already had. Once you and your dog graduate from our program we stay in daily contact for the first month, followed by monthly, and bi-yearly consultations for reports on your dog’s ability to continuously provide assistance to you and your child. This is a long form text area designed for your content that you can fill up with as many words as your heart desires. You can write articles, long mission statements, company policies, executive profiles, company awards/distinctions, office locations, shareholder reports, whitepapers, media mentions and other pieces of content that don’t fit into a shorter, more succinct space.
