FAQs
02
Where do your dogs come from?
Medical Service and Mobility Dogs are acquired from the the 4Paws4People Breeding Program. A custom blood-line breeding program specifically developed to produce Dogs with the personality, temperament, and disposition suitable for Assistance Dog work, a specially chosen breeder (either via donation or purchase) whose bloodlines and pedigrees have been carefully researched to produce dogs with the required personality, temperament, and disposition.
01
How do you match clients with dogs?
We believe in allowing each Dog to choose his/her job. Our philosophy is that you can decide when your child is five that you are going to make it possible for them to go to college; but, you can’t decide when your child is five that they are going to be a brain surgeon. That is what we do with our Dogs – we send them to college, and we let them choose their majors. Likewise, we let each Dog tell us for whom he/she wants to work.
03
How long does it take to train a dog?
Training an assistance animal is no easy feat. It typically takes upwards of 24 months to train the dog AND the handler.
04
How much is a dog?
The average value of a fully trained Service Dog is $100,000. We do not charge for the dogs, but each Client or Handler is responsible for the general care expenses (e.g., food, preventatives, vet bills, etc.) once the dog goes home with them. Clients and Handlers are not required to fundraise. Instead, they work with their Advocates to create a plan that works for each of them, their unique skills and resources, and truly accomplishes the goal of becoming part of something bigger than themselves.
05
What breeds do you train?
When we seek dogs from our relationships with breeders as well as choose the dogs from our breeding program, we use carefully selected lines of Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers and a hybrid mix of both, Goldadors. These breeds respond best to our training philosophies and tactics and, over the past decade, have had the highest graduation rates in our programming as Assistance Dogs.
06
Will you train a privately owned dog?
4Paws4People does not have the capacity to assist individuals with the training needs for their privately owned dogs. Trainer referrals are available upon request.