About 4 Paws for Ability

4 Paws for Ability is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to place quality service dogs with children with disabilities and veterans who have lost use of limbs or hearing; and educate the public regarding use of service dogs in public places.

4 Paws for Ability teams up with local universities to bring on-campus foster programs to their schools. Students foster 4 Paws service dog puppies and bring them along to class, activities, meetings, shopping, and events which is an excellent way for puppies to gain all sorts of experience. As of September 2017, 4 Paws for Ability had over 165 dogs out training on campus !

In 2012, the College of Wooster joined the 4 Paws for Ability university program by hosting the puppy Pebbles. This program was a great success and from that point onward the College has hosted at least 3 dogs per semester.

We love it when our dog gets to meet new people! Exposing the dog to new sights, smells, sounds, etc. is our main goal throughout the semester. Most of the time, we would absolutely love it for you to pet our dog, but, please always ASK before petting! There are times when we want our dog to focus on a command that has been given to them, and someone petting them can be a huge distraction. Being able to listen to the commands given by a handler is really important for a service dog in training, so be sure to ask first!

We don’t! It’s important to realize that we are NOT providing the training for these dogs for the service they will eventually provide for a child or veteran. We are fosters, so we do general care, keep up basic obedience commands, and provide lots and lots of socialization experiences for the dogs. However, we do attend a 5 hour orientation at the beginning of the semester to go over our responsibilities. We also have monthly meetings at 4 Paws to work with the trainers on any issues we may be experiencing with our dogs. In the end, it is the dog trainers at 4 Paws who train our puppies to become service dogs, we just socialize!

Yes! Legally, service dogs in training have the same rights as full fledged service dogs, allowing them to go everywhere we go. This is important for the dogs in training so they get to experience anything and everything they could encounter as a service dog. Our dog goes to class, restaurants, the grocery store, the county fair, and anywhere else that we go. There are lots of great places around Wooster for the dogs to get new experiences!

Of course, giving the dog back at the end of the semester is incredibly difficult. We absolutely love every dog that we have on campus and letting go is bittersweet. While the good-bye is hard, we know that the dogs we work with go on to have a huge impact in the life of someone who needs them. 4 Paws even has ‘graduation’ ceremonies for fosters to attend and meet the dog’s new family. These families are beyond incredible and meeting them makes saying good-bye well worth it.

About 4 Paws for Ability

FAQ 1: Can I pet your dog?

FAQ 2: What organization do you work with?

FAQ 3: How do you learn how to train the dogs?

FAQ 4: Does the dog get to go everywhere with you?

FAQ 5: Is it hard to give the dog back?

Wooster Dog Blogs

Website Administration

About 4 Paws for Ability

4 Paws for Wooster

FAQ 1: Can I pet your dog?

FAQ 2: What organization do you work with?

FAQ 3: How do you learn how to train the dogs?

FAQ 4: Does the dog get to go everywhere with you?

FAQ 5: Is it hard to give the dog back?

Wooster Dog Blogs

Website Administration