Our Dogs

PADS dogs change lives. They are more than beautiful, healthy companions; they are specially trained to aid people. Some of our clients have physical disabilities or are Deaf or hard of hearing. Some dogs are placed in therapy settings with professional caregivers who work or volunteer in long term care facilities, group homes, rehabilitation centres and private practice.

Many people are aware of the need for guide dogs for people who are blind, but do not realize the need for assistance dogs for people with other disabilities. According to Statistics Canada, there are approximately 240,325 mobility impaired, 241,300 agility impaired and 170,985 hearing impaired people in BC alone, and this is only a part of the population that PADS strives to serve.

ASSISTANCE DOGS

'Assistance dog' is a broad term that refers to any dog trained to assist someone with a disability in their day to day life. There are several sub-categories of assistance dogs. At PADS, we train Hearing Dogs (sometimes called signal dogs), Service Dogs and Facility Therapy Dogs.

We also place some of our dogs that aren't suitable as assistance dogs as VIP dogs with children or adults who want a companion that has a stable temperament.