FAQs

Before applying for an Autism Assistance Dog, you need to decide if you would benefit from having an Autism Assistance Dog in your life. Please review the Application Process section of our website. After reviewing the application process, application requirements and points to consider, if you would like an information and application packet, you may request to have one sent to you using the convenient webform on the Application Process page.

Generally, most Autism Assistance Dogs are placed with children between the ages of 5 and 12 years of age, but applicants of all ages will be considered based on their needs.

We do not place Autism Assistance Dogs in homes with other dogs. Pets other than dogs are usually approved during the application process, unless the other pets would create unusual distractions for the Autism Assistance Dog.

Not necessarily. Some of our dogs make absolutely wonderful partners for children with autism but do not have all the confidence necessary to feel comfortable and secure in all environments. These dogs go in the car, to the park, on family outings, but do not accompany the child into stores, malls, or other public places.

Some of our dogs do have certification for public access. These dogs are confident and relaxed in any situation, so they can accompany the child into stores, malls, restaurants, etc. Unfortunately, because these dogs are much more diffiduclt to find, the wait for a dog that has public access rights is longer than for a dog that we do not certify for public access.

The first phase of training involves the parents and/or significant care givers coming to our facility for a week of training without the child with autism or any of the other children. This involves travel expenses and staying in a hotel during the training week.

The second phase of training is done in your home. The trainer brings the dog to you and works with your family for a week. The trainer stays in a hotel and Dogs for the Deaf pays for their expenses.

Dogs for the Deaf does require regular progress reports and ongoing communication with all working teams. We provide follow up support for the life of the team.

You can expect to pay approximately $750 - $1,500 per year for your dog's food, toys, and other expenses. This does not include emergency veterinary treatment. We do have a special emergency veterinary fund to help with emergency situations or extraordinary veterinary expenses under certain circumstances.

During the first year that your dog is with you, you send us regular progress reports, and the trainer who placed your dog with you responds with advice or suggestions. After that first year, we keep in contact with clients through yearly reports or visits for the duration of the working life of each team. Additionally, a Trainer is always available by phone or e-mail to respond to questions, concerns or problems.

DFD determines this on a case-by-case basis.

Normally there is less than a 3 month wait for a Harmony's Hound.

We place Harmony's Hounds with adults.

You can expect to pay approximately $750 - $1,500 per year for your dog's food, toys, and other expenses. This does not include emergency veterinary treatment. We do have a special emergency veterinary fund to help with emergency situations or extraordinary veterinary expenses under certain circumstances.

During the first year that your dog is with you, you send us regular progress reports, and the trainer who placed your dog with you responds with advice or suggestions. After that first year, we keep in contact with clients through yearly reports or visits for the duration of the working life of each team. Additionally, a Trainer is always available by phone or e-mail to respond to questions, concerns or problems.

We do not certify dogs that we have not trained.

No, they are not. Our dogs are trained to sounds and to alert their hearing impaired partner to sounds in the home, such as a door knock, oven timer, doorbell, telephone, smoke alarm, and even a baby's cry. If the person signs, the dog will learn it very quickly. We do teach obedience commands with voice and hand signals.

Currently, the expected wait time is approximately a year.

This will depend on your situation, needs, and challenges. Miracle Mutts provide a reason to live, motivation to exercise and do rehabilitation, lessen loneliness and depression, decrease anxiety, and lessen the effects of trauma.

Before applying, you need to decide if you would benefit from having a Miracle Mutt in your life. Please review the Miracle Mutt page of our website. After reviewing, if you are interested in applying for a Miracle Mutt, please download, print, fill out and return the application form available on the Miracle Mutt web page. You may also request for us to send you an application by mail using the handy webform on the Miracle Mutt web page.

Ideally, most Miracle Mutts are placed within 12 months from the time an applicant is approved, depending on a number of factors.

During the first year that your dog is with you, you send us regular progress reports, and the trainer who placed your dog with you responds with advice or suggestions. After that first year, we keep in contact with clients through yearly reports or visits for the duration of the working life of each team. Additionally, a Trainer is always available by phone or e-mail to respond to questions, concerns or problems.

Before applying for an Program Assistance Dog, you need to decide if you would benefit from having an Program Assistance Dog in your life. Please review the Application Process section of our website. After reviewing the application process, application requirements and points to consider, if you would like an information and application packet, you may request to have one sent to you using the convenient webform on the Application Process page.

Ideally, most Program Assistance Dogs are placed within 12 months from the time an applicant is approved, depending on a number of factors.

Yes, a fenced yard attached to the house is required. A common use area will not qualify.

We have placed thousands over the years. We average 30-40 placements a year. In addition to that, we also provide follow up and life time support to hundreds of teams that we have placed in past years. We make a lifetime commitment to each dog we rescue that we will make sure it is well cared for and being used properly.

The majority of the dogs we choose from the shelters are between 10 months and 3 years of age. We do, however, also take older dogs for our Miracle Mutt program, since sometimes an older, calmer dog is better for some of these applicants.

The basic things we look for are confidence and friendliness. These traits are important for training and critical for a dog which may accompany its partner into public places. We use dogs of all sizes and love to find dogs that love toys and treats.

Dogs for the Deaf hires Assistant Trainers on an as-needed basis. Assistant Trainers spend approximately 6 months to a year learning basic kennel and medical procedures. If suited, they may be offered an Apprentice Trainer position. The Apprentice Trainer position is 2-3 years working with the Certified Audio Canine Instructors on staff. After attaining the needed skills and passing the Certification Test, the Apprentice Trainer becomes a Certified Audio Canine Instructor. Excellent communication skills and teamwork are required. The ability to communicate in sign language is preferred. Please e-mail us for a job description and an application. You may also visit our Careers page, where we post any current job openings, to download and print a job application.

Yes. All dogs receive the same basic training and then each dog receives specialized training depending on the person's needs. This way, each dog's training is customized to the needs of the applicant.

The dog has to receive a certain number of hours of training, as established by Assistance Dogs International. They have to be obedience trained and trained in the skills needed by the person they are being placed with. They must perform their skills reliably and regardless of any distractions around them. Those dogs that will be going into public places must pass the Public Access Test from Assistance Dogs International.

We are totally funded by donations from individuals, service clubs, groups of all kinds, and some businesses and corporations. We also encourage individuals to include Dogs for the Deaf in their estate planning. Leaving a bequest to Dogs for the Deaf in your will or trust can leave a legacy that will help for generations to come. We do not get any government funding for our organziation.

Our actual investment per dog is considerably more than the sponsor fee above. Our average investment per dog - from rescuing the dog in the shelter, all the medical work to get the dog in top physical condition, the 4-6 months of training, the placement expenses, and the lifetime follow up support for 10-12 years or more, plus assisting the client at the end of the dog's life - averages $25,000.00 to $27,000.00 per dog. This is a lot of money, and we do everything we can to keep the costs as low as possible and still maintain our high standards and quality. However, when you think of the lifesaving and life enhancing benefits of these dogs and the service they provide, it is worth a lot more.