How to Apply

K9 Helpers has a policy of only accepting applicants when we have space to accomodate a new team. At this time, we are currently in the process of training two new teams, expected to graduate in 2008 and 2009.

When a space becomes available we will make an announcement to the Guelph-Wellington community and hold an information session. Interested candidates will be encouraged to attend with members of their support circle. Interested members of the Guelph-Wellington community will also be welcome to attend. At the end of the information session, anyone interested in obtaining the services of a dog will be welcome to fill in a preliminary application.

Stage 1 Applicants will then be invited to begin to explore if they are truly suited to using a service dog. Each Stage 1 Applicant will be given a project to complete, exploring information about themselves, their needs, what life is like for them now and what they think that a service dog might do to improve their lives. This project is expected to take two to three months to complete as it requires that the applicant reflect on his or her life and what might be different for them with the assistance of a dog. When the Stage 1 Applicant turns in his or her project, it must be accompanied by a letter of support from a member of the applicant's health support team. When this is completed, the Applicant moves on to Stage 2.

Stage 2 Applicants will meet with the Head Trainer and the Client Representative and go for a tour through a mall and a meal in the company of one or more Service Dogs. At this time any questions that the applicant might have regarding Service Dogs can begin to be answered. K9 Helpers wants our applicants to understand the advantages and also the disadvantages to working with a Service Dog on a daily basis. At this point, the Stage 2 Applicant will be given a second project to do, researching life with a Service Dog, the needs of a dog, the needs that they have for a dog and the breeds that might be suitable. The Stage 2 Applicant will also need to begin putting together a support team plan so that they have the support that they need in order to be successful in the use of a Psychiatric Service dog. Along with the Stage 2 project, the Applicant must submit supporting letters from members of their support team indicating how they will support the applicant. It is expected that Stage 2 will take two to three months to complete. When this is completed, the Applicant moves on to Stage 3.

Stage 3 Applicants will meet with members of the Service Dog Club and the Head trainer to go through their Stage 2 project and ensure that they are well prepared to move forward. The Stage 3 Applicant will assist the Head Trainer in choosing an appropriate breed, preparing for becoming a candidate and complete 50 hours of volunteer service for K9 Helpers. At the end of Stage 3, the Applicant, the Client Representative and a member of the board of directors will meet and decide if the Applicant is ready to be accepted as a candidate. Stage 3 is expected to take 2 to 3 months to complete.

Candidates who are accepted into the program will begin to attend weekly Service Dog Club meetings to learn about issues that face Service Dog Users. The Head Trainer will begin to meet breeders and discuss lineages in preparation for choosing the appropriate dam for the puppy who will be born and chosen as a Service Dog Candidate. From the time that a Candidate is accepted to the time that they receive their dog can take between two and four years, depending upon availability and suitability of the dog chosen for them.

K9 Helpers does not keep a waiting list; if we did, that list would be hundreds of names long. We have chosen the method that we use in order to ensure that our candidates and graduates are well prepared to develop a deep and committed relationship to the dog that they are partnered with, and that teams have the kind of support that they need in order to succeed.