In Home Companion Dogs

Autism Service Dogs:: Hearing Service Dogs :: Mobility Service Dogs
Multipurpose Service Dogs :: Seizure Service Dogs :: In Home Companion Dogs

One of the services offered by 4 Paws For Ability, Inc. is the In Home Companion Dog. It's been proven that Companion Dogs provide trusting friendships, and facilitate physical and mental health (decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration). 4 Paws For Ability, Inc. can provide an In Home Companion Dog for you or your child!

There are many people who would benefit from the company of an animal friend but are unable to utilize this valuable resource because of "no pet" regulations where they live (apartments, independent living facilities, nursing homes, etc.). This is why we developed a program that trains dogs as In Home Companion Dogs, one that provides a different level of certification than that of service dogs.

The In Home Companion Dog is a dog with the same skills as all of the working service dogs. If you have a child with Autism you can get an In Home Companion who is able to track your child, should he wander from home, and is trained in behavior disruption as well. (See our page on Autism Assistance Dogs for clarification on skills trained.)

If your child has seizures, facilitated scent work may be done with the dog. (See our page on Seizure Assistance Dogs for clarification.) If you child has mobility issues, some mobility tasks may be trained. Whatever is needed by the child in the home may be trained just as a service dog would be.

Types of dogs trained as In Home Companions

The difference is that the In Home Companion is not a certified service dog and has no right to work in public. Most often, for our In Home Companion Dogs, we use dogs that for a variety of reasons were not able to work well in public. Basically, such dogs did not work well in public or may not transition well in a variety of settings, because they:

1. May not have transitioned well from environment to environment
2. May have been nervous in crowded environments
3. May have been nervous of unusual/nontypical things not present in the home like a dancing snowman at the mall
4. May have barked at things that scared them or people that seemed suspicious
5. May have had a tendency to bark when they saw other dogs
6. May have just seemed sad or unhappy in the strange new environments preferring a more consistent environment

In Home Companion Dogs cost less than service dogs

Not all children with disabilities need a service dog that can go out and about with them into public places. When this is the case, the In Home Companion is a great alternative. The fundraising for an In Home Companion is only $3,500 in most cases. However, when multiple specialized skills are needed the training may vary from $3,500 - $5,000.

Why Certify an animal for use in the home?

Certified In Home Companion Animals with task training are protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and as such are not subject to "pet" regulations. Certified animals are allowed to live with people who are renting an apartment or home with "no pet" regulations and/or size restrictions. In addition, the property owner may not request a deposit from individuals with a Certified In Home Companion. Dogs used for emotional support may also be protected in some instances as In Home Companion Dogs under The Fair Housing Act, HUD regulations, and other housing rulings.

Training an In Home Companion Dog

The training time at 4 Paws, to learn to use the dog, varies with the type of dog needed. For example, if a dog is needed to track the child, the family would be required to attend a two-week training class at our facility.

However, in most cases a full six-hour day may be all that is needed for placement or a two-day stay with one overnight at a local hotel. If the dog is placed as a companion only with no skills, just a few hour visit is needed. Just as with our full access service dogs, the In Home Companion is individually trained for you or your child and the family is then trained in the skills they need to maintain and use that training.

Applying for an In Home Companion Dog

If you or your child have been diagnosed with a disability and need such a dog to make your quality of life better, click here to download an adult or child's application form. We want to help.