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PAWS FAQs

Have questions about our assistance dogs or services? Find quick answers about training, applications, and how we match dogs with people who qualify.

Applicant FAQs

You can view our service area here.

The application request form is open from January-March each year. There is a $50 fee to request an application which helps cover the cost of processing.

PAWS custom-trains service dogs for physical mobility, hearing dogs, seizure response dogs, service dogs for children with autism, and medical alert dogs.

The total cost to breed, raise, train, and place an Assistance Dog, along with providing ongoing support for the team exceeds $60,000. However, PAWS clients do not pay to receive their Assistance Dogs. Since there is no insurance coverage or government funding available for Assistance Dogs, PAWS relies entirely on generous donations from individuals across the country.

PAWS custom-trains assistance dogs for a variety of roles, including service dogs for mobility, hearing dogs, seizure response dogs, service dogs for children with autism, and medical alert dogs. Through our Animal Assisted Services, we place facility dogs in settings like schools, hospitals, and courtrooms, and operate a visiting therapy dog program called Visiting PAWS. Through partnership placements, PAWS dogs can also be trained as veteran social support dogs or electronic detection dogs.

PAWS purposefully breeds and custom-trains Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Papillons, and Standard Poodles.

Due to the highly specialized nature of assistance dog work, we do not consider a client’s pre-existing dog for training.

Service or Epileptic Seizure Response Dog

  • Applicant must be 14 or older
  • Applicant must have age-appropriate cognitive ability
  • Application requests can be submitted one year prior to their 14th birthday

Hearing Dog

  • Applicant must be 18 or older
  • Applicant must have age-appropriate cognitive ability
  • Application requests can be submitted one year prior to their 18th birthday

Service Dogs for Children with Autism

  • A child with autism must be between four and twelve years old
  • Application requests must be started by their seventh birthday
  • Needs Assessment must be completed by their ninth birthday
  • Dog will be placed before the child’s twelfth birthday

Medical Alert Dogs

  • Applicant must be 18 or older
  • Applicant must have age-appropriate cognitive ability
  • Application requests can be submitted one year prior to their 18th birthday

PAWS places assistance dogs in homes with cats, birds, or other small caged pets. However, they will not place a dog in a home with another dog unless it is a retired PAWS dog or an active assistance dog from an Assistance Dog International or International Guide Dog Federation-accredited agency for another household member. This helps ensure the bonding and training process of the assistance dog team is not disrupted.

Typically, the dogs are two to three years old when they are placed.

PAWS assistance dogs and facility dogs receive in-home training with a field representative after being placed with their client or handler. Our field representatives work closely with each team until they are prepared to take the PAWS certification test—a combination of the Assistance Dogs International (ADI) Public Access Test and PAWS’ own in-home skills test.

This test allows the client or handler to demonstrate their ability to work effectively as a team and confirms the dog is trained to mitigate the client’s disability or fulfill its role in a facility. Upon successful certification, ownership of the dog is transferred to the client.

Volunteer FAQs

PAWS requires a criminal background check for all volunteers age 18 and older (excluding groups) to ensure a safe environment for our dogs, staff, and fellow volunteers. When deciding whether or not to allow service by a prospective volunteer with a criminal history, PAWS will consider:

  • The nature and gravity of the offense or conduct
  • The time that has passed since the offense/conduct and/or the sentence
  • The nature of the volunteer position sought

Yes! We will sign off on volunteer hours for a school or community service project and will work with you to ensure your hours are met. Please indicate this on the application, and PAWS will coordinate with you upon your arrival to sign paperwork or other necessary documents.

PAWS does not currently accept court-ordered community service hours.

Yes, we welcome families to volunteer together! If your family meets the following requirements, then you might be a group:

  • The group is only planning on coming to PAWS once, or at most once a month
  • Four or more people are participating in a volunteer experience
  • All members of your family are over 14 years of age (ages 14-17 require adult supervisor by a group member)

If you would like to volunteer more than once a month or have less than four people in your family, please fill out an individual volunteer form for each member of your family.

Please dress for the weather and your volunteer tasks. Since activities can be indoors and outdoors year-round, layering is recommended. We try to keep activities indoors during bad weather, but our dogs enjoy being outside, rain or shine.

Our dogs are friendly but at different training stages, so please avoid loose or dangling jewelry and wear sensible footwear for safety around them.

PAWS does its best to create a safe place for everyone to volunteer. Our PAWS Volunteer Coordinator will help you choose the volunteer opportunity that is right for you after you’ve submitted a volunteer application.

Some activities are more involved with potential allergens than others. We ask that volunteers use their best judgment when signing up for activities and make their volunteer supervisor aware of their allergies when they begin onboarding.

Allergies to be aware of:

  • We have both dogs and cats on campus
  • We create enrichment materials that use peanut butter
  • Outdoor activities will include exposure to dust, grass, and pollen

The volunteer work at PAWS requires training time and staff commitment, we ask that volunteers commit to around three months of volunteering. PAWS does not currently offer volunteer opportunities for individuals looking to volunteer one time.

We understand that it’s impossible to see into the future, and sometimes things happen! If you need to stop volunteering with PAWS and want to return in the future, your profile with PAWS will be held for you.

PAWS is happy to provide drinking water, tools, and other materials needed for activities. However, we welcome you to bring anything needed to make your experience more comfortable, such as a water bottle, snacks, or personal items (perhaps you have a favorite pair of work gloves). PAWS will provide a place to store your personal items while you’re on campus.

Some opportunities may take place at off-campus locations (such as providing support during events or fundraising); these locations and all other instructions will be shared with volunteers prior to the date of the opportunity. Orientation for these opportunities will still take place on campus.

Those transporting PAWS dogs will generally meet at PAWS headquarters to pick up dogs and take them to their designated location unless otherwise specified by PAWS staff. There may be other driving needs across Michigan; details of a driving opportunity will be shared prior to the date of the opportunity.

PAWS vehicles may be available depending on the situation and convenience! Your volunteer supervisor will share details when the driving opportunity becomes available.

Raise a Puppy FAQs

PAWS places puppies in regions where monthly training classes are available, primarily in Michigan and a few out-of-state areas, with virtual options available soon. First-time puppy raisers are expected to attend a PAWS puppy class twice a month, and returning raisers once a month, to support training and address any challenges.

Yes, other pets are welcome in the home while raising a PAWS puppy! However, other dogs must be at least one year of age and there cannot be more than three other dogs in the home.

No, but anyone without a fenced yard should use a secure tie-out or be able to leash walk the puppy for break times. PAWS dogs are not allowed to run free unless they are in a completely fenced area to ensure the dog’s safety. We do not allow raisers to use an invisible fence with a puppy.

Yes, most PAWS foster puppy raisers do work full-time outside the home! For the first couple of months, arrangements would need to be made to let the puppy outside. There are lots of ways to make this work—some people choose to stop by home at lunch, or they arrange for a trusted friend or neighbor to let the puppy out.

If your workplace allows it, you may also take the puppy to work with you when it is older. In this setting, the puppy would need to wear their cape and practice good manners.

We have foster puppy raisers of all ages! All raisers under the age of 18 must have the consent and support of their parents or guardians.

PAWS provides a crate, collar, leash, dragline, and a small bag of food to get you started. foster puppy raisers will need to provide a food and water bowl for the puppy, and we strongly recommend that you pick up a large-size Kong for your puppy to help satisfy chewing urges! We are happy to help you find toys and equipment that are right for your puppy.

Yes! PAWS will keep the foster puppy raiser updated as their dog goes through the training process until they reach their final placement.

Breeding Home FAQs

PAWS places breeding dogs within a specified range of PAWS headquarters, based in Wayland, MI. The host homes for the males must live within 45 minutes of PAWS and the host homes for the females must live within 1 hour and 45 minutes from PAWS.

Yes, other pets are welcome in the home while housing a breeding dog! However, there cannot be another dog of the opposite sex that is intact. When we have a breeding dog ready to go home with you, we will have you bring your personal dog to PAWS headquarters so the two dogs can meet and we can make sure they get along well.

No, but anyone without a fenced yard should use a secure tie out or be able to leash walk the dog for break times. PAWS dogs are not allowed to run free unless they are in a completely fenced area to ensure the dog’s safety. We do not allow host homes to use an invisible fence with the dog.

Yes, most PAWS breeding host homes do work full-time outside the home! If hosting a female breeding dog, you may want to arrange to have a few days off around the time puppies are born to make sure everything is going smoothly, especially the first time she has puppies.

Yes, but be aware that this could affect the wait time before we have a dog available for you. For example, if you are interested in a male dog only, the wait could be longer since our highest need is generally for female homes.

PAWS will provide a crate, collar, leash, and small bag of food to transition them over to their regular food. If housing a female, PAWS will provide all the whelping equipment and puppy food for mom and puppies during whelping and the care for eight weeks before they turn in at PAWS.

PAWS purposefully breeds dogs to ensure they have the health, temperament, and trainability required to become successful assistance dogs—traits that are difficult to guarantee with rescue dogs. By using specific breeds and maintaining strict health and lineage standards, PAWS has significantly improved success rates and reduced the risk of costly health issues that could shorten a dog’s career. As a nonprofit reliant on donor support, PAWS uses its resources carefully and aims for 90% of its bred dogs to enter working careers, not become pets.

Donation FAQs

Paws With A Cause is funded through generous donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations. We also receive support through grants, special events, sponsorships and different workplace giving campaigns.

We do not receive government funding for our everyday work—so every assistance dog we place is made possible by people like you. Your support truly changes lives.

Yes, PAWS publishes an annual impact report, which you can view on our blog page alongside our newsletters. Our financial documents and IRS Form 990 are also available there.

Paws With A Cause is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) public charity; therefore, your contribution may be tax-deductible. Please check with your tax advisor to find out more. Our tax identification number is 38-2370342.

Yes! If your employer has a matching gifts program, collect the form from your Human Resources department, complete and mail it with your gift or with a copy of your online donation receipt to:

Paws With A Cause
National Headquarters
4646 Division Ave S
Wayland, MI 49348

For questions, contact Paula Pasma at ppasma@pawswithacause.org or call (616) 877-7297 ext. 220.

We only accept large bath towels for use in our grooming area.

We cannot accept bedding, sheets, pillows, blankets, quilts, rugs, small towels, or washcloths. Please consider donating these items to another organization.

Absolutely! You can celebrate a special friend or occasion, such as a birthday, holiday or wedding, with a dedicated donation to PAWS. An acknowledgment card or email will be sent to your honoree. PAWS can even send acknowledgments on behalf of pets to humans and other furry friends. There is no minimum!

For additional information, contact Paula Pasma at ppasma@pawswithacause.org or call (616) 877-7297 ext. 220.

A memorial gift is a meaningful way to honor a departed person or pet while helping to support PAWS’ mission. There is no minimum donation required. PAWS will send an acknowledgment card or email to the designated person or family acknowledging your donation. A copy of The Rainbow Bridge will be sent to memorialize a pet.

For additional information, contact Paula Pasma at ppasma@pawswithacause.org or call (616) 877-7297 ext. 220.

Yes! Donors who give monthly (or weekly or quarterly) are Best Friends of PAWS. You can set up your recurring gift online by choosing the recurring gift option on our donate page, or call us to set up automatic donations via credit card or checking account. Your donation will be charged automatically, and you can change your giving amount at any time. PAWS will send you a giving statement annually. 

For questions or to enroll, contact Paula Pasma at ppasma@pawswithacause.org or (616) 877-7297 ext. 220.

*If you’re already a recurring donor and wish to update your donation or account details, please reach out to Paula using the contact info above.

PAWS does participate in the Combined Federal Campaign. Our number is 11901. See your Human Resources department to enroll in this program.

No! Please see our Privacy Policy for assurance on how we protect information collected on our website.

Your sponsorship gift will support a puppy for 12 months. You’ll follow your puppy through their first year with their foster puppy raiser.

Our puppies are hard at work in training and are not available for visits. If you’re looking for some puppy snuggles, consider sponsoring a litter and supporting their journey to becoming life-changing working dogs.

Not all puppies graduate—but every journey matters. You’ll continue to receive updates, and your support still changes lives.

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