Helping Paws does not train dogs to do the following tasks or needs:

• For the primary benefit of emotional comfort or social support
• To assist with the management of mental illness as a primary condition
• To recognize and/or manage undesirable human behavior
• To anticiapte or detect medical symptoms
• To provide supervision, navigation, or safety from environmental hazards
• To respond aggressively
• To provide personal protection

• Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age and have a physical disability other than loss of vision or loss of hearing.
• Applicants must be financially able to take full responsibility for a dog, including, but not limited to, dog food and veterinary care. Costs such as annual vaccinations, additional veterinary needs, dog food and dog “toys” may run upwards of $1,000 per year.
• Applicants must be able to physically take full responsibility for a dog, or have someone designated and able, to address this responsibility.
• Applicants must demonstrate through the application process that a service dog would assist in daily living tasks and help the applicant maintain or increase independence.
• Applicants must be able to attend the three-week Team Training course held at the Helping Paws training center.
• Applicants must be willing to participate in follow-up training.
• The applicant’s home environment should be stable (without any major changes) during the first year following placement of a service dog.
• Yearly follow-up interviews are required with the Helping Paws Graduate Follow-up Coordinator.
• There is a $50 non-refundable application fee. At the time of Team Training, there is a $200 equipment fee.
• Applicants and graduates are not required to participate in fundraising or public relations activities in support of Helping Paws.
• The geographic location for placement of Helping Paws service dogs is limited to Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
• To start the application process, an applicant must submit a written request to the Helping Paws office.  In this request, the applicant should briefly describe how a Service Dog would assist him or her in activities of daily living. Mail request to:  Application Department, Helping Paws Inc, PO Box 634, Hopkins, MN 55343