Facts and Stats About paws4people

paws4people is dedicated to being a leading Assistance Dog organization, elevating the standards for training Assistance Dogs and their clients. See below for some facts about paws4people that show how we are using our Assistance Dogs to transform lives.

The Foundation

paws4people was founded in 1999.
paws4people headquarters, ADDIE'S Way, is located in Castle Hayne, North Carolina.
paws4people has 40 paid and volunteer staff members.
paws4people has approximately 100+ Dogs In-Training and in our Breeding Program.
paws4people does not use a “puppy raiser model.” Instead, our Puppies live in Puppy Development Centers (Wilmington, NC, Mid-Atlantic Region, and New York) and participate in our Puppy Host Family Program!
Dogs In-Training are part of the paws4prisons Program and the UNCW/paws4people Assistance Dog Training Program (UNCW/p4p ADTP). Dogs In-Training live with their inmate trainers and student trainers.
paws4people is a full member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and a full member of Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII).
Over the last 5 fisical years, we have spent an average of $0.952 of every dollar of Functional Expenses on Program Expenses.
paws4people has surpassed the $1 million annual revenue mark for the last 5 fisical years.

Our Programs

The paws4vets program began in 2008 and specializes in placing Assistance Dogs with Veterans, Service Members, and dependents of each.
paws4people also places customized Assistance Dogs for children, adolescents, and adults with life-altering physical, psychiatric, and behavioral disabilities.
paws4people places on average 40-50 Dogs each year.
Dogs are placed at no cost to the recipient.
The West Virginia Department of Corrections hosts our paws4prisons Program within 3 state correctional centers. Approximately 100+ inmate trainers participate in the paws4prisons Program, teaching our Dogs basic and advanced obedience and a custom 100-command matrix.
Our paws4prisons Program celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2016.
The UNCW/p4p ADTP is a 1st of its kind 4-course certificate program for academic credit.
Beginning in the Spring 2021, the College of Health and Human Services began offering students an interdisciplinary minor in Assisance Dog Training through the UNCW/p4p ADTP.
The UNCW/p4p ADTP began in August 2011.
To date, over 2,000 students have completed UNCW/p4p ADTP course work, and more than 200 students have completed the certificate program and earned their paws4people Assistance Dog Public Access Trainer certification.
During July 1, 2019 and June 1, 2020, UNCW/p4p ADTP students completed 85,000 training hours within the Wilmington community.
6 paws4people full-time and part-time staff are graduates of the UNCW/p4p ADTP.

Our Dogs

paws4people retains ownership of our Dogs for their working career. Dogs are placed with Clients and Handlers under a conditional custody contract.
As of December 31st, 2020, paws4people had a total of 235 certified working teams, 169 Service Dog Teams, 18 Facility Dog Teams and 48 Emotional Support Dog Teams.
paws4people certified teams are currently working in 23 states.
Each paws4people Assistance Dog and Facility Dog are valued at $100,000 at the time of placement.
Dogs bred in our internal breeding program start training at 3 days old, before they can hear or see!
Dogs In-Training Bump at approximately 1 year old. A Bump is the process during which an Assistance Dog In-Training chooses a Client. paws4people does not match Dogs and Clients; instead, the Dogs do (with a little help from staff). That produces successful and lasting Teams.
All Assistance Dog-Client Teams are required to pass an annual paws4people Public Access Test live, in person, in order to remain covered by paws4people’s general liability insurance policy.
All Facility Dog-Handler Teams are required to pass an annual paws4people Facility Observation Test live, in person, in order to remain covered by paws4people’s general liability insurance policy.