Welcome to HAPCT’s Program Service Dog’s
Hey! Im MaKayla!
I’m so glad you’re here. I am the owner and head trainer at Hands and Paws Canine Training LLC and I oversee our service dog training program. I can’t wait to assist you with your service dog journey!
Below you will find a list of details about the program, including the steps of application, tasks I train, and things I look for when placing my service dogs. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! I look forward to hearing from you!
Email: Makayla@handsandpawscaninetraining.com
Subject: HAPCT Program Dog Inquiry
Review
Makayla did an amazing job training Echo, and she was very transparent with me throughout the entire training process and provided frequent updates on his progress. You can tell that she cares deeply about the well-being and happiness of her dogs, which is essential in ensuring the dog is successful as a service dog. She also took special care, more so than what I've seen from many other trainers, to ensure that the dog was a good fit for my needs (in terms of disability tasks, lifestyle, and personality/bonding), and she works extra hard to ensure that the dog will be able to best assist the handler. One of the huge benefits of getting a dog from Makayla's program was the ability to customize my task list. Due to physical limitations from my disabilities, I was unable to owner-train my own service dog. However, few other programs would train for the exact combination of tasks that I required. Makayla has worked with many other clients with similar disabilities to mine, and she allowed for flexibility to create a task list that was perfectly customized to my disability needs.
I highly recommend Hands & Paws Canine Training :)
-Natalia (Program service dog handler)
About the program
If you are looking for a 100% customizable fully trained service dog you have come to the right place. All of our dogs are tailored to your needs. MaKayla, our head trainer, has an emphasis on intentional placements to ensure a team’s long term success. What makes us different is that we care about you and we want to include you in the process. We do this through multiple team trainings, updates, meet and greets and more!
We place dogs domestically in the USA and internationally. Specializing in multi pourpose service dogs for an array of disabilities’s.
We train dogs for :
POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)
ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)
EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes)
MS (Multiple Sclerosis)
Medical alert dogs for (Cardiac Conditions, Diabetes, Chronic Migraines, Seizures (case by case basis), and Allergen detection.
Fibromyalgia/RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis)
Dysautonomia
MCAS (Mass Cell Activation Syndrome)
Lupus
Psychiatric disabilities (ADHD, Autism, ADD, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety)
These are some of the many disabilities our dogs help with. If you have a disability that is not on this list please put that on your application and we can see what accommodation a service dog may be able to provide!
We are so excited you are here and we can’t wait to meet with you!
Before applying to our service dog program, please review the following requirements to ensure that you meet the criteria for our program.
Step
1
Documentation that is Required:
Continuation of ongoing care for medical conditions
Documentation from your medical team/professionals supporting the need for a service dog
Financial Commitment: Clients must be willing and able to provide comprehensive financial support for the dog’s well-being, covering costs such as food, veterinary care, preventatives, vaccinations, routine check-ups, emergencies, and maintaining insurance for the dog’s health.
Property: A secure, fenced-in backyard or the willingness to learn proper safety precautions is a prerequisite for our clients. If you don’t have access to a fenced-in backyard please notify us and ask for an accommodation request to be reviewed.
Pet Policy: We typically place our dogs in homes without other dogs, however, upon request assess other animals in the home to see if they would qualify to be in home with one of our dogs. We are more than happy to provide lessons to those who will need to enroll current pet dogs into training. More details on this can be provided in the consultation/Interview.
Safe and Clean Home Environment: Our application process includes a home visit (Virtual or in person), meet & greet (typically in person), and interviews with all members of the house hold if applicable.
Veterinary Records and Reference: Access to past vet records and a reference from a Fear Free certified veterinarian/Vet clinic is required to ensure proper care for our service dogs. We are happy to help you find a Fear Free certified vet!
Emergency Plan: Clients must establish an emergency plan, including identifying individuals who can care for the dog in emergencies.
Training Commitment: If accepted, clients commit to a 1-1.5 year team training period. This will include different team trainings that will take place in Pensacola, Florida and the client’s home. (This is an additional expense) Team trainings are done once every 3-5 months for about 7-14 days in length. This program is detrimental to the long term success of a HAPCT service dog team.
Ongoing Support: Beyond the first year, clients continue to receive support. They undergo annual public access testing and home visits to maintain our training standards and a strong client-dog partnership. Clients have access to discounted boarding in the event your program dog can’t go with you on a trip. If your service dog is out of work for any period of time or does not pass the annual assessments, clients have access to HAPCT discounted board and train refreshers.
Step
2
Fill Out our Application
After completing the first step, please be prepared to dedicate 30 minutes to fill out the application. The application will require detailed information about your situation, including the reasons why you and your medical team believe a Service Dog can be a good treatment option for you. Please be sure to have contact information readily available for your doctor, employer, Fear Free certified veterinarian, and landlord.
Once you have submitted your application, it will be reviewed by HAPCT within 5-7 business days. Thank you for taking the time to apply to the HAPCT program.
Step
3
Consultation/ Interview
If we believe that a HAPCT Service Dog may be a good match for you we will be in touch to request further information, and schedule your consultation. Consultations costs $150 USD and last about 1-1.5 hours. Please be prepared to give a tour of your home. During the consultation, we will also create a customized task list to best suit your needs.
At HAPCT, our priority is the health, safety and compatibility of our service dogs. We reserve the right to end the process at any time if it is determined to be incompatible. Please note that completing the assessment steps does not guarantee receiving a service dog. Our goal is to ensure the best fit for both you and our dogs.
Step
4
Quote
If everything goes well and you’re approved to get one of our service dogs we will send a customized quote for you to review. Choosing to get a service dog is an important and difficult decision. Please take your time when making this decision and consult with family and friends. We want to ensure that this is the right decision for you.
Step
5
Wait Times, Deposits, and Retainers
If after careful consideration you feel that you would like to move forward with joining our waitlist, we require a Retainer to hold a spot on our waitlist. Our waiting time varies (1-3 years) depending on what tasks are needed, match between dog and handler, and availability of dogs. Retainers are $5,000- $10,000 USD and non-refundable to show commitment to the program. Retainers do not guarantee a specific dog.
Step
6
Support Hands and Paws Canine Training: Fundraising/Donations
We kindly ask our accepted clients to contribute towards supporting HAPCT through fundraising efforts. This assists in covering the operating costs associated with raising, training, matching and placing our unique and highly trained dogs. Upon acceptance into our program we can help facilitate fundraising for you and your dog’s costs.
Step
7
Meet and Greet
Once we have a dog that may be a good fit and has been health tested (Cardiac, Eyes, Hips, and Elbows) we will contact you. We will email you with details about the dog, travel and what costs will need to be covered typically this is a pre determined daily Per Diem, hotel, flight/drive, and car rental costs.
During your meet and greet you will get to work hands on with your potential match while MaKayla assesses the compatibility. You will go over all of the dog’s details, health clearances and practice new skills. Meet and greets are 3-5 days long.
Step
8
Reservation/ Team Trainings
If you are matched with a dog, you will be invited to join us for team trainings. Further details will be provided to you. You will also need to pay for the reservation fee. Typically this is anywhere from $18,000 USD-$25,000 USD. This cost allows us to move forward with tailoring this dog to your specific customized task list.
During this time HAPCT will send you a list of supplies you will need to acquire in order for your dog to come home.
Including but not limited to:
Crash tested car kennel (Ruffland, or Gunner kennel)
Bold Lead Designs mobility harness (If applicable)
Ruffwear boots
Grooming supplies
Dog Pacer treadmill (If applicable)
Place bed
Leashs, collars, vests
We have a list of supplies with links that we provide during the time of reservation.
Step
9
Final Payment/Placement
After your team trainings and final heath testing you will be required to pay the remaining payment 6 weeks prior to placement. Final placements are 10-14 days at your home. The final payment is typically $18,000-$25,000 depending on your quote.
Our dogs vary in price from $35,000-$47,000 USD as of 2024
Psychiatric Service Dogs
Crowd control (Block, Cover, Orbit, Between
Self harm interruptions
Pressure therapy and more
Medical Alert
High and Low blood sugar (diabetes alert)
High Heart Rate (cardiac alert) (POTS)
Migraine Alert and response
Seizure Response
If dog has a natural seizure alert we can help shape that into a solid alert to develop a response.
Responses can include pressing buttons to alert others to come help, extremity elevation, the dog can tilt the handlers body to prevent aspiration, orbit to keep people away, and more.
Hearing assistance Service dogs
Alert to noise (EX: fire alarms, phone sounds, emergency vehicles, people calling your name, oven timers, and more)
Autism assistance Service dogs
Grounding/ Tactile stimulation
Pressure Therapy
Press buttons to have someone come for help
Crowd Control (EX: body blocking, orbiting to create space around you)
Mobility assistance Service dogs
Non-weight bearing mobility (Ex: Retrievals, Buttons, Assist with laundry, open and close doors, turn on and of lights, assist with taking off clothes and more, assist with house chores, pull mobility aid over to a chair and more)
Weight bearing mobility (EX: Forward momentum pull, wheelchair pull, and counter balance)
Guide dog/ Navigation tasks
Destinations (EX: find chair, find car, find exit, find an office and more!)
This includes directional cues (Left, Right, Forward, and Halt)