Apply for a Dog

Applicants:

If you meet eligibility requirements for an assistance dog, you can contact CHAMP and request an application. Our Client Partnership Manager can answer any questions you might have and help you determine whether you might be a candidate for a CHAMP service or facility dog.

Our selection committee will meet to discuss the applications we receive. If the selection committee believes we may be able to serve you, our Client Partnership Manager will schedule one or more in-home interviews. If you are applying for a Facility Dog, we will also visit your facility. After the in-person interviews, we will review all of the information we have gathered, and you will be informed of our decision. If you or your facility is approved, you will qualify to become a student.

Students:

We try very hard to match each dog with the right partner – the place where the dog’s skills and personality will enable it to be the most successful. A match considers such things as the size of the animal as it relates to the partner’s needs, the types of skills required, and the energy level and personalities of both dog and human. The average wait for a service dog is approximately 2 years.

During the wait period, CHAMP volunteers and staff will meet with the student to start the education process. We’ll bring education and therapy dogs to visit the student, and cover topics like grooming, feeding, and let-outs, plus help the student select places in the home for the crate, feeding, etc. We also discuss any custom-trained skills the dog might need.

Once we’ve identified a potential match, training visits will increase in frequency until the student is well-prepared for the arrival of their dog. As the placement date nears, we switch from working with the education and therapy dogs to working with the actual dog the student will receive. Training visits will continue before and after placement until the team is working together smoothly.

Acceptance as a student does NOT guarantee you will receive a service or facility dog from CHAMP. Students must complete the education process and demonstrate the willingness and ability to be a good partner for a service or facility dog.

Graduates:

After placement, CHAMP will continue to check in with the graduate team to ensure all is well. We are ALWAYS available to answer questions, to help the team with any issues that may arise, or to help add new skills the dog may need due to the graduate’s changing health. Active participation in post-placement contact, including phone calls, emails, and in-person visits, is a requirement of our graduate teams. We love our dogs, and we are here to help in any way we can, for the life of the partnership.

CHAMP dogs provide companionship, confidence, and hope, and help people live and work with greater independence and well-being.