Transforming Lives Together
Paws With A Cause is a national nonprofit organization that empowers individuals and communities by providing custom-trained working dogs that bring confidence, comfort, and life-changing support.
Our Mission
To transform lives and strengthen communities through partnerships with custom-trained working dogs.
Our Vision
Changing lives, one PAWS dog at a time.
Our Values
Adaptable
Dedicated
Innovative
Optimistic
Grateful
Our History
Scroll to experience our completely paw-some history!
1979
A Movement Begins
Mike and Antoinette “Candye” Sapp started PAWS with a simple act of compassion: training a dog to assist their friends, Marty and Diane Jansen—a deaf couple who needed a way to hear their baby cry. That dog, CRYSTAL, became the first PAWS hearing dog, and this favor for friends sparked what would become a national movement.
1981
A Vision for Serving Others
Recognizing how many others needed this kind of support, Mike and Candye founded Ears for the Deaf, a nonprofit to train hearing dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Working out of a rented office in Grand Rapids, they laid the foundation for a growing community of support.
1989
New Name, Growing Mission
As services expanded, Ears for the Deaf became Paws With A Cause, a name that reflected our growing work in empowering people with disabilities through custom-trained assistance dogs.
1991
Expanding Services & Reach​
Our mission continued to grow, adding service dogs for mobility assistance, helping people with physical disabilities gain greater independence with tasks like retrieving items, opening doors, turning on/off light switches, and more.
1995
A Place to Grow
PAWS moved into our permanent home in Wayland, Michigan—a 24,000 square foot facility on a seven-acre property designed to support the growing number of dogs and clients.
That same year, we placed our first seizure response dog, WILLIE. This placement marked the beginning of a program that has grown to serve hundreds of clients with seizure disorders, each with a custom-trained partner by their side.
1997
Building a Brighter Future
To meet rising demand, PAWS added Building B to the Wayland campus. This 15,000 square foot addition included 50 new training kennels, giving dogs more space to learn and thrive—and giving trainers more room to meet every dog where they are. The expansion helped shorten wait times and prepared us for the growing number of people counting on a PAWS dog.
2000
In-House Veterinary Care
PAWS welcomed its first on-staff veterinarian. With in-house veterinary care, every PAWS dog received expert medical attention throughout their training, ensuring their health and well-being from puppy to career placement.
2003
Purposeful Breeding Program
PAWS launched a purposeful breeding program to ensure our dogs have the right temperament and physical traits for their work as assistance dogs. We also opened Building C, a 27,000 square foot facility dedicated to early puppy education and development. Building C became the heart of our Foster Puppy Raiser Program, where volunteers help raise and train puppies in their earliest stages, laying the foundation for future success.
2009
Supporting Children with Autism
The life-changing potential of a PAWS dog reached new heights when DENVER was placed as the first service dog for a child with autism. This partnership marked a meaningful evolution in our work, opening new doors to support families and help children build confidence, connection, and comfort through the companionship of a custom-trained dog.
2013
Prison Partners Program
The launch of the Prison Partners Program paired PAWS dogs with incarcerated individuals in Michigan between the foster puppy stage and a career placement. While dogs received advanced training and socialization, participants gained vocational skills with this career opportunity and a chance to be part of something life-changing—for both the dogs and their future partners.
2016
Entering Healthcare Spaces
PAWS Facility Dog VANDY joined Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, introducing the revolutionary concept of placing dogs in healthcare settings. This milestone expanded our mission, sparking a commitment to placing dogs in settings that support not only individuals, but entire organizations and communities.
2018
A New Chapter
Mike Sapp retired after nearly four decades of visionary leadership. Later that year, Michele Suchovsky became CEO, ushering in a new chapter focused on innovation, sustainability, and deepening the organization’s impact across the country.
2019
Expanding Possibilities
Through Animal Assisted Services
Initially referred to as Purposeful Placements, our Animal Assisted Services department was founded, exploring how PAWS dogs could make a broader impact. This initiative led to placements of facility dogs and other working dogs, reaching hospitals, schools, therapy centers, police departments, veteran support organizations, and more.
2021
Broadening Community
Services with Visiting PAWS
Our facility dog placements brought attention to the increasing demand for emotional and social support of dogs in public spaces, and we launched our Visiting PAWS program, sending trained dog-and-handler teams into our community to offer comfort, connection, and emotional support.
2025
The PAWS Mission Reimagined
PAWS introduced a new brand along with a new mission statement: To transform lives and strengthen communities through partnerships with custom-trained working dogs. Throughout 2025, PAWS will complete a major campus renovation that will allow us to serve more clients, train more dogs, and deepen our impact nationwide. With increased capacity and enhanced resources, we’ll be able to shorten wait times, expand program offerings, and better support every PAWS dog and their future partner. We’ll celebrate this exciting milestone with a ribbon cutting, marking a powerful step forward in our mission to transform lives through custom-trained working dogs.
2026
What's next?
PAWS will open applications for a new category of assistance dogs: medical alert dogs. This new service will support clients with invisible conditions such as diabetes and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), helping alert their handlers to medical episodes and making life safer and more independent for even more people.
An exciting future awaits, and we invite you to be part of our journey. Your support helps us transform more lives—one paw at a time.
Visit Us
Location
Paws With A Cause is nationally headquartered in Wayland, Michigan.
Hours
Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (EST)
Phone
Social
Have questions?
Get to know us better. Our FAQ page answers common questions about our organization, services, community impact, and the many ways we work together to enhance lives through custom-trained working dogs.
