Loving Paws Assistance Dogs &
Pacific Assistance Dogs Society (PADS)

Linda here: It didn't enter my mind that a child could benefit from an assistance dog. Read on!

Depending on the severity of their CMT, a child with CMT, who is in a wheelchair and very weak, could use a service dog to help him open doors, turn lights on and off, retrieve dropped items, push elevator buttons, get help, pull off clothing, bark on command and warn adults that the child needs help during the night or at school.

A social dog, which is classed differently than a service dog, is a child's best friend and a part time helper to the younger child.

Loving Paws Assistance Dogs was founded in 1994 and trains dogs to assist children with physical disabilities under the age of 18 in the United States.

Their Web site suggests they are a small operation but from what I can see, they do an excellent job, and I'd suggest anyone thinking about getting their child with CMT a special skills or social dog contact them. There is a waiting list.

I'll quote from their Web site: "To apply for a dog, an applicant only has to write or e-mail Loving Paws for an application. The completed application will be evaluated and if appropriate, an interview will be scheduled. When a dog is ready, the student attends a two to three-week training class with one parent. Both the child and parent must fully participate and successfully complete this class before a dog can be placed. Following graduation, there is a three to four-month trial period where the graduate and the family and Loving Paws evaluate the success of the placement. After the trial period, if the team is determined to be a good match, ownership of the dog is given to the graduate. Regular follow-up visits are scheduled from that point on. Graduates are welcome to call Loving Paws for advice and information at any time during their relationship with their dog."

To contact Loving Paws Assistance Dogs you may write them at: P.O. Box 12005, Santa Rosa, CA 95401; tel: (707)586-0798; fax: (707)586-0799; e-mail: info@lovingpaws.org and their Web site is at www.lovingpaws.com. The Web site includes a newsletter that tells the touching stories of several of the children who have received dogs and had their lives turn around.

More dog stuff
Linda Jennings from Loving Paws writes: Please allow me to explain the Assistance Dog industry's terminology.
Assistance Dog is an umbrella term encompassing:
Service Dogs (disabilities other than hearing or visual, usually wheelchair users)
Hearing Dogs (Not signal or deaf dogs)
Guide Dogs (Not seeing eye or blind dogs)
Seizure Dogs (respond or predict seizures)
Social Dogs (companion type helpers without public access)
Balance Dogs (help people who walk with difficulty)

PADS

Shawn Laari, Executive Director Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, Western Canada Region, writes: I wanted to let you know about a Canadian organization... PADS (Pacific Assistance Dogs Society) where I volunteer as a fostering puppy raiser. If you want more info... please write PADS, 9048 Stormont Ave., Burnaby, BC, V3N 4G6 Canada; tel: (604) 527-0556; fax: (604) 527-0558; e-mail: info@padsdogs.org or go to their web site at www.padsdogs.org