The Mission of paws4people_TM foundation is to enhance the lives of special and regular education students, seniors, and the seriously ill or disabled, by utilizing the "Special Powers" of canine companionship displayed by highly trained Assistance Dogs; including Service, Educational Assistance K-9s and Social Therapy dogs in specialized educational, private placements and therapeutic visitation programs.

While there are many organizations that share our goal to enhance human lives with canine love, we have found that no other training program matches the selectiveness, variety and qualifications of the paws4people_TM programs. Most organizations focus on either hospitals, nursing homes, private placements or schools. Our mission's multiple aspects are unique in providing diverse groups of citizens with a menu of programs from which they can select the one that best meets their needs.

The paws4people_TM Educational A ssistance K-9 [pEAK_TM] Program:

Our "I Care Dog_TM" program is designed specifically for children with physical, mental or behavioral disabilities in special education classrooms. The motivational capabilities of the dogs are coupled with the students' Individual Education Plan (IEP). Each student's IEP is developed by the student's case manager, in concert with numerous other educational specialists, as a plan for the student's educational goals and objectives. The inclusion of the dogs has aided many students to accomplish or surpass specific IEP goals and objectives while providing a unique, stimulating and rewarding learning experience.

Our "Students Achieving Success in Education" (SASe_TM) educational enrichment program is designed specifically for 2nd - 4th grade students in regular education classrooms. The program teaches these students how to care for and handle therapy dogs; incorporates the motivational capabilities of the dogs to Standards of Learning (SOL) goals and objectives and advanced (by grade level) math curriculum; teaches the responsibility of saving the SASe_TMBucks (play money) they have been awarded for completing projects with which, at the end of the school year, they can purchase educational materials; and how to learn from and interact with seniors when taking the dogs on visits to nursing homes, using the dogs as a "bridge" between the generations.

Our "Private Placement" Program provides companion therapy dogs or service dogs to physically or mentally challenged adolescents, spouseless seniors and disabled veterans. These dogs, trained specifically for their new owners, may be simply companions, or service dogs, that can turn on lights and perform other specialized tasks to enhance and ease the lives of their owners. The demand for these dogs is very high and there can never be enough such dogs to meet their need in society.

Our "General Visitation" Program provides therapy dog visits to the seriously or terminally ill, the physically or mentally challenged, seniors in nursing/assisted living homes, pediatric and geriatric hospitals, Hospice facilities, as well as animal-assisted private therapy sessions in the privacy of the patient's own home. Often the lives of these special citizens are painful, bleak and routine. The simple presence of the dogs brings them smiles and hope that improve their lives in ways we may never totally understand.

All paws4people_TM services are provided free-of-charge

paws4people_TM foundation
110 East Gambier Street, P.O. Box 1186, Mount Vernon, Ohio 43050
540.338.7580 / 540.882.3327
www.paws4people.org