F.A.I.T.H Fourpaws Assistants In Training to Help

Mission Statement

4 Paws For Ability is a not-for-profit agency placing service animals with children who have limited physical, mental, or emotional abilities. We specialize in currently under-served populations such as children with hidden or severe disabilities. We are committed to promoting public awareness of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 as it applies to service animals. 4 Paws is dedicated to using "recycled pets" from animal shelters.

What is a Service Animal?

Any animal trained or placed to do work, perform tasks, and/or provide emotional support to people with disabilities. While most service animals are dogs, the ADA does allow for the use of other animals, when placed for emotional support. Currently 4 Paws trains and places Mobility Assistance Dogs, Signal Dogs, Seizure Assistance Dogs, and a variety of animals for emotional support.

"Recycled Pets"—making a difference for people with disabilities.

How Can I Help?

4 Paws depends on a large pool of volunteers to meet the growing demand for service animals. While the dogs are puppies and/or in the early stages of training they live in foster homes who help with their training. You can help! Foster one of our service dogs in training and watch the magic begin. Our volunteers have two things in common, big hearts and a desire to see "recycled pets" rescued from probable death go to people in need: a life-changing miracle.

Puppy Raisers/Foster Home Requirements

No experience necessary. Puppies are usually around 8-12 weeks. In addition we need foster homes for adult dogs. When we obtain adult dogs (6-18 months) that are ready to begin training, they usually go straight into our prison program for basic obedience training. At times when there are no openings at the prison, we need temporary foster homes for these dogs until a space opens up for placement in the prison program.

Puppy Raising Homes Needed!

Wouldn't an adorable pup fit perfectly in your home? Contact us if you would love to do this. Here's how it works: While the dog is in the foster home the family will begin the housebreaking process, the acquisition of in home manners, and provide 4 Paws with an assessment of the dogs personality, willingness to learn, and any potential problems/concerns they might see in the dog.

While the puppy is in the puppy raising home, it goes through a rigorous evaluation process, socialization, personality assessment, housebreaking, and the development of manners, as well as basic obedience. The family members who are actually working with the puppy are required to meet with our Training Supervisor 1-2 times a month. In addition, the home will attend lessons (puppy kindergarten and basic obedience), at a dog club or 4H program in their area. If there are fees associated with these lessons 4 Paws will cover the expense.

If the placement needs to be terminated for any reason, we would expect the respectful decision to give us at least two weeks notice so that we can find a different placement for the puppy.

4 Paws For Ability's Responsibility

Our foster homes and puppy raisers do so on a voluntary basis. However, there is no expense to the home. We provide all veterinary care, dog food, and other expenses such as monthly heartworm preventative and flea control. If the dog placed is one that needs grooming (only grooming not easily provided by the home such as clipping) we will also provide reimbursement of the cost. All expenses must be approved in advance. Expenses can be met by obtaining the needed items and submitting them for reimbursement or the home may choose to let us know when they require the necessary services of supplies and pick them up at our training center.

Jennifer Varrick

The Varrick family joined the 4 Paws foster program some years ago. Yanni was found by Board member, Wendy McAdams, at the HAWC and became a 4 Paws puppy at the age of 12 weeks. Yanni, a wonderful Golden Retriever/Collie mix has done well in our foster program. Jennifer Varrick, then 14, had primary responsibility for Yanni and the two made a great team.

Jennifer and Yanni attended training classes together through 4H and in October they were off to the fair.

They took first place in the service dog class at the Clermont County Fair and then went off to State. The Ohio State Fair presented these two with much stiffer competition. There were ten dogs in their class and the other nine were from the Pilot Dog program, which trains service dogs for the visually impaired. Yanni and Jennifer took second place, but even if they hadn't placed they have made 4 Paws proud.

Jennifer, who hopes to work with dogs as a living when she gets older, worked with Yanni on the advanced training skills such as retrieval and working light switches. In addition, the Varrick family took on a brand new endeavor, Cody, a 12-week-old Golden Retriever donated by Goldenquest Kennels.

To the right is a photo of Jennifer, several years and dogs later, still making 4 Paws proud as they pose after the 2004 County Fair!

Website for 4 Paws Foster Homes

Several years ago Jennifer started a website that will coordinate all Foster Home information at: http://www.4pawsfosterhomes.webs.com

Housing of the Dogs in the 4 Paws Breeding Program

We sometimes need breeding homes for some of the dogs in our breeding program. Contact us about taking in a breeding dog!

Want to help 4 paws by taking care of one of our dogs but feel it would just be too hard to give them back? We now have a way you can help! 4 paws needs responsible, loving homes for the dogs in our breeding program. From the beginning the dog is a member of your family. With female dogs, we use the dogs for 3 breedings and then the dog is spayed and transferred into your name to live with you for the remainder of their lives. With males, the dogs are a member of your family for life but stay in the ownership of 4 paws until they are retired. The age of retirement varies as most males are able to produce offspring late into their lives.

Do you have room in your heart and home for a beautiful 4 Paws Breeding Dog? Can you become a forever home for one of the service dogs in our breeding program?

What to expect: All expenses for housing the dog are the responsibility of the family raising the 4 paws Breeding Dog with the exception of costs directly related to the breeding such as veterinary bills before, during, and after pregnancy, whelping the puppies and all costs associated with the puppies during their first 8 weeks.

Those who become the families of female dogs have options in regard to the breeding. They may ask 4 Paws to house the dogs temporarily during the heat cycle and they may return the female to 4 Paws to have the puppies whelped here and have the dog return to their care after the puppies have been weaned. Housing a 4 Paws breeding dog should not be a decision made lightly. You will have the dog for its entire life which can be as much as 12 or more years.

Dealing with the female in heat has challenges, the dog does bleed during this time which presents sanitary issues, and the family must make sure that no intact males have access to our dogs so that no unplanned pregnancies occur.

Remember 4 Paws will be responsible for the breeding, will choose the male, and will take care of the actual breeding process during which time the female dog will be in our care (probably for about one week).

Males who are not altered must be properly contained to keep them from taking off after a female they may smell from as much as a mile away who is in season. We suggest that you research breeding dogs, whelping, and puppy care if you plan to ask to be the family for one of our females.

We suggest you read about breeding and the challenges of living with an intact male if you wish to be the family for one of the very few male dogs we keep for breeding purposes. After doing this, if you think you would like to become a part of the 4 Paws Family by providing the loving care to one of the dogs in our breeding program contact 4 Paws for details and to set up a time to visit and begin the interview process.

Contact us if you're interested in fostering or puppy raising.

Top of Page