Applying for an Assistance Dog
Our clients are the driving force behind our work at Eyes Ears Nose and Paws. Potential clients will become acquainted with our programs and staff during the application process, and we will be better able to determine if one of our programs can meet their needs. Read on to learn more about our application and placement process!
Applying for an Assistance Dog
Call Us
Let us know you're interested by giving us a call and we can talk you through how the application process works.
Letter of Interest
If you’re interested in the possibility of being partnered with an Assistance Dog from Eyes Ears Nose and Paws, the first thing we'll ask you to do is send us a 1-2 page Letter of Interest describing your interest in an Assistance Dog and how a Service Dog or Diabetes Assistance Dog could help you. You may submit the letter via US mail or email. The Letter of Interest allows our clients to explore whether an assistance dog is right for them before committing to the complete application process.
Application
After reading your Letter of Interest, we will contact you and let you know if one of our programs could meet your needs. An information packet will be sent to potential applicants. Once you have reviewed the information packet, you may apply for an Assistance Dog using the forms included in the packet. A completed application includes:
- Application Form
- Medical History Forms (1 completed by you; 1 completed by your doctor)
- Personal Letter of Reference (from a friend, teacher, or someone other than a family member)
- Professional Letter of Reference (from a therapist, social worker, teacher, employer or any other professional with whom you have contact)
- $25 Application Fee
Once we have received your completed application, we will review it and follow up with any questions that may arise. A staff member will contact qualifying applicants for an in-person interview.
In-person Interview
During the in-person interview, applicants will have a chance to meet our staff and our dogs. We will discuss our Training Seminar, Assistance Dog placement, and fill in any details needed to complete the application process.
Partnership Placement
Waiting List
Applicants who are selected and wish to become one of our program clients will be placed on our waiting list. A careful matching process is used to find an assistance dog that is a good fit for each individual client's needs and lifestyle. When a proposed match has been made, clients will be notified and invited to the next Assistance Dog Team Training Seminar for potential placement.
Team Training Seminar
The Training Seminars are two week classes held in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area, and they are designed to teach you the skills you need to maximize the partnership, to give you a chance to bond with your new partner, and to allow you to become comfortable with being in public with your partner. We move from initial classroom training sessions to supervised outings to a final solo outing at the end of the training.
After Placement
After the Training Seminar, you'll return home with your new partner, but our involvement doesn't end there. We encourage you to call us if you are having problems or questions, as well as if everything is going well! We will check in with you periodically to make sure everything is going okay, and to offer additional training where needed. After you've had time to settle into your partnership together, we'll do an in-person "recertification" where we observe you in some common situation to make sure that everything is going well.
If you are ever unable to take care of your partner, let us know! We can offer help. In addition, we will refund your payments (or donations made in your name) if you should decide that the partnership is not what you expected.
Cost
Cost for Assistance Dog Placement is on a sliding scale, from 25-100%, based on each client's financial situation. The sliding scale ranges from
- $5,000 - 20,000 for a Service Dog
- $4,000 - 16,000 for a Diabetic Assistance Dog
Tuition for the Assistance Dog Team Training Seminar is $600 plus travel, accommodation, and food costs.
If the sliding scale fees represent a challenge which might prevent you from pursuing an assistance dog partnership, please let us know. We can help you with fundraising ideas and tips on scholarships. We're committed to making sure that expense doesn't keep anyone from getting an assistance dog.
