Case Study: Paws With A Cause

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Paws with a Cause is a nonprofit organization in Wayland, Michigan. It was founded in 1979 by Michael Sapp, Sr. and was originally called “Ears for the Deaf”. They specialized in hearing dogs and then expanded to service dogs, seizure response dogs and service dogs for children with autism. Their mission statement is “Paws With A Cause® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs. PAWS® increases awareness of the rights and roles of Assistance Dog Teams through education and advocacy”. Their vision statement is “Embracing innovation to address the aging population and to strengthen families living with disabilities.”
Private individuals or breeders donate some …show more content…

The training lasts 3-6 months and in this time the dog is custom trained to do tasks that enhance the client’s independence and quality of life. PAWS trainers mimic the client’s movements and speech during training to help the assistance dog recognize who its handler is going to be before they even meet. They have high training standards and if the dog is unable to meet them then the training will stop and the client will be matched with another dog. When the training at headquarters is finished, they start team training and the dog goes home with the client. Team training can last anywhere from three to eight months. A PAWS staff member helps the client learn how to work with the dog in the house, school, workplace, etc. When the client and the dog finally create a bond, the staff member records them performing tasks throughout the house. This is then reviewed by PAWS client services, they get approved or disapproved, they are certified, and the client now owns the dog. The teams are recertified every other year and a follow up is organized on alternate …show more content…

Service dogs are trained for a physical disability, debilitating chronic illness or neurological disorder. Hearing dogs are trained for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Seizure response dogs are trained for people with epilepsy or other seizure disorders. Service dogs for children with autism are trained for kids under 12. They also train combination dogs that specialize in service & hearing, service & seizure, and hearing & seizure. People can apply for a dog if they have a physical disability, hearing impairment, seizure disorder, or if they are a child that has autism. PAWS chooses clients that they think will best benefit from having a service dog as they only have a limited number of dogs to train each year. On their website (https://www.pawswithacause.org/paws-clients/pawsclients-faq) it says “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. Families applying for a Service Dog for Children with Autism must have a child with autism between 4-12 years old: application must be received by 7th birthday; Needs Assessment completed by 9th birthday; placement prior to 12th

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