Most people are familiar with the concept of a guide dog for the blind and the visually impaired or a hearing dog for the deaf and hearing impaired. Service dogs for people with disabilities other than those related to vision or hearing, guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired and hearing dogs for the deaf and hearing impaired are all types of assistance dogs.

A service dog is a dog that helps out a person with a physical disability that is not related to sight or hearing.  Service dogs assist an individual with many tasks. These dogs go through a very structured training process to prepare them for their life as a service dog.  When their training is complete, they and their human partner complete a three week Team Training course.

What tasks can a Helping Paws Service Dog do?
Each dog is trained to meet the needs of an individual with a physical disability other than visual or hearing impaired.  The dogs are trained to pick up dropped objects, open and close doors, assist in getting up from a chair or the floor, turn light switches on and off, get the phone, find help, and provide assistance as needed.  Of great importance is the unconditional love and companionship that dogs also provide.

What breeds of dogs are used?
In order to have great service dogs, we start with great puppies.  Helping Paws began its breeding program in 2002 to have potential service dogs available in a timely and efficient manner.  Through our breeding program we are able to produce the traits we are looking for in potential Service Dog trainees.

Because of their temperament, trainability and willingness to work, Helping Paws works with purebred Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers.  We use purebreds to optimize the health history of the dog so it can have a long life as a service dog.

Dogs in our breeding program live with volunteer caretaker homes. The caretaker home is responsible for the whelping and caring of the puppies until they are eight weeks of age. Help and support for this is provided by Helping Paws staff.
The Breeding Program includes:

• Selection or purchase of breeding females
• Selection of sires for the litters
• Veterinary care of the dam
• Pre-whelping and veterinary care for the first eight weeks of the new litter
• Whelping and care of the litter
• Selection of puppies for the Service Dog program

After it is selected, how does a puppy become a Helping Paws Service Dog?
A puppy selected for the program will spend approximately 2 ½ years with a foster home trainer experiencing a variety of social environments and learning the skills it will need to be a service dog.  As part of the training, it will attend formal classes once a week and be involved in daily training activities. A “puppy passport” directs the foster home trainer to appropriate public training venues based on the dog’s age and skill level. During the training process, each dog is evaluated on skill level, manners and public behavior.

Who is eligible to apply for a Helping Paws service dog?
Any adult with a physical disability (other than loss of hearing or vision impairments) who wants to increase their independence through the use of a service dog is welcome to apply.  The geographic location for placement of Helping Paws service dogs is limited to Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

For more information on getting a service dog of your own, please go to our Considering a Service Dog page.