4 Paws For Ability

4 Paws is a good program for recipients but behind the scenes is a different story. There have been several, several incidents where dogs are with the same primary handler & for reasons that are never identified or completely falsified they are abruptly take from their primary handler were they thrive with one on one training & love & put in their "kennel facility".

These precious animals are not robots. They have emotions just as we do. What will this do emotionally to an animal? How is this okay? There needs to be some serious investigation of this program. Their story is glorified on the surface when there of much more going on.

4 paws is such an amazing company, everyone there works so hard to make sure the dogs are taken care of and well trained

Can't say enough good about 4 Paws! I have now adopted two of their "Fabulous Flunkies" (separately, there is a waiting list) and couldn't be happier. The dogs they breed are the kindest, smartest, happiest, healthiest, prettiest, most well-behaved dogs I've ever known. The dogs they actually put into service are amazing and the organization's employees clearly care for and value the dogs. Really great organization!

My Husband Ken and I throughly enjoyed our guided tour Monday with Barbara, one of the many Knowledgeable and Friendly Volunteers. After completing my application for a Veteran Service Dog and sending it off, I found myself curious to see where the service dogs come from and how they're trained. We just happened to be in the Xenia, OH area and I arranged a last minute tour of #4PawsforAbility.

We toured the facilities with Barbara and saw trainers working with future service dogs as well as touring the breeding area, the puppy house, and the grounds set up for play (and of course saw adorable puppies). The staff, trainers and volunteers were knowledgeable, friendly and dedicated to the mission of placing a quality (non cookie cutter) service dog with children and veterans who need them. Thanks everyone that made this last minute tour possible!

Be careful of this organization especially if you are interested in fostering. A family member recently was a foster parent and did not have a good experience. Fostered a dog for a year and a half. Unfortunately she did not pass her evaluation. Next we tried to adopt her because she was loved tremendously and this process became a nightmare from HELL.

The owner maliciously denied adoption for several family members. I do not believe the owner has the animals best interest in mind. Allowed the dog to sit in a pen for weeks when we made numerous attempts to adopt her. Alot of lies were told and even their own employees verified our suspicions. I also question a organization that says it is a nonprofit when they are selling dogs for $17000.00.

We were told they have 600 dogs at any given time. I would be careful dealing with this owner, they need to reevaluate how they do things here. Would not recommend them especially if you are considering being a foster parent to a dog.

I don't understand how anyone could have anything negative to say about this organization. My family and I just completed the mandatory onsite 2-week service dog training so we could bring our son's service dog home. The facility is beautiful and clean, the dogs very well-cared for and wonderfully trained, the trainers and volunteers were approachable, knowledgeable, and hands-on every step of the way.

There are SO many moving parts to keep a place like this afloat and it is run (from a parent's standpoint) seamlessly. I have zero complaints and would entrust them again and again.

This is a great place to volunteer with your friends and family. They are an organization that trains and places service dogs with children and veterans. They have service dogs for autism, diabetic alert, seizure alert, hearing impaired, and mobility. They do a great job and really love the dogs and families they work with. They are always accepting donations. Contact them to see what they need, or where to send monetary donation.

4Paws for Ability is an amazing place that is transforming lives of their clients with incredibly trained service dogs! Having volunteered onsite, been a puppy raiser (fostered), participated in fundraising, training classes and special events I promise you there isn't a place that cares more for their pups and their clients, and it shows through the amazing success of teams!

An absolutely amazing charity organization that breeds, raises and trains service dogs for children and vets. They work tirelessly to raise funds to ensure over 50% of the costs to do everything they do are raised by them and then they assist the families to fund raise the remaining share of the costs. They and the founder have been recognized by many organizations and news reporters. View the first show in the Dogs series on Netflix to get an understanding of what they do and more importantly who they do it for.

We began our journey as fosters for 4 Paws while we waited for my son to receive his service dog. I attended a three-hour orientation that included a very detailed contract and a thorough explanation of each point. Example: The dogs' food is carefully chosen and monitored not only to maintain a healthy weight, but also to ensure they're being fed a food that hasn't had a recall or other problems. Toys are very specific, because eventually, many of these dogs will either be working service dogs or placed in families with children.

The dogs are only allowed to have specific brands of hard toys to prevent the association of chewing on soft things--which can translate to gnawing down a child's precious stuffy or ingesting something that could get stuck and cause a blockage. Lists of commands to work on, ideas for socialization--all clearly laid out so that fosters knew what was expected of them and why in order to protect the safety and well-being of every dog in the program and the handlers they were placed with.

We fostered two dogs in training and had two long-term for puppy sitting. I went through the weekly and monthly process of submitting puppy reports. This is incredibly important, because doing so allows the trainers a very detailed look at each dog's personality. The staff has worked diligently at updating their forms and process to make it work as smoothly as possible.

It is time-consuming, but this was discussed in length at orientation, and we were very aware it would be prior to bringing our puppy home. Again, the trainers are not living with each dog on a daily basis and these reports give insight into how a dog does around small children, or if a dog prefers to be around older adults, or to be alone, etc. In addition to active social media groups which offer tons of support, the staff also provides monthly obedience classes which offer excellent opportunities to ask questions, discuss concerns, and receive specialized guidance.

Last year my son was placed with his service dog, and we had the opportunity to go through the 12-day course. My husband described it as a college course; it's intense and exciting with a ton of information given to families. Every day the trainers were available before and after class for questions, help, or to work with us one-on-one. Since we've been home, I've had other questions come up, and they've all been answered or addressed in a timely fashion. I've never felt like I'm walking this road alone, because the staff has been behind us from day one.

My son has become a different person since his dog came home: He is confident, more calm and regulated. He finds tremendous comfort in his dog, and tells everyone he meets that he is his best friend. We are forever grateful to 4 Paws to have had the opportunity to work with them in so many ways, and will continue to support their incredible mission.

Without 4 Paws for Ability I would have never made it through freshman year at Kent State University. My first month with out a companion was lonely. I kept saying how I wanted a dog. And then I found 4 Paws. I was paired with Mandela, a papillon. I made so many incredible friends through this organization. I came into contact with some many selfless, caring people that truly cared about their dogs and everyone around them.

Everyone always put their dogs first. All dogs are trained to the best they can be trained, but some dogs are not cut out for the job. All 4 Paws members try their best to work out the dogs issues. A major issue I had with Mandela was barking. I received so much advise from so many amazing people and it helped me control his barking. With out all of the support of amazing 4 Paws members I would have never been able to raise Mandela. I hope you will consider becoming a part of this organization because it is truly amazing what they do for the dogs and people in need of a service dog.

My review comes from a different perspective of 4 Paws for Ability. My family fostered a service dog in training for the summer and it could have gone a lot better. We loved our foster dog, but my rating is for the organization itself. It's ironic though because they are very unorganized, yet have strict rules for fosters. For starters, we already had a cat at home so when filling out the foster application we checked the correct boxes for requesting a cat-friendly dog.

Well let's just say that our foster still would not be able to be around cats. Our poor cat had to be locked in a basement for the entire summer. As part of the 4 Paws fostering process, you must complete a weekly update via Google Forms. Each and every week we would explain how we tried to introduce our foster dog to our cat each day and how there was never any improvement.

We never received any comments or feedback on anything the entire summer, therefore we don't even know if anyone read our submissions. There were many rules we had to follow including things like the dogs cannot have any plush toys (resembling stuffed animals), must sleep in a provided kennel/crate at night, can't have a towel or blanket in the kennel, can't be around other dogs, and should not bark.

All the rules are gone over during the orientation training prior to receiving a foster. Then you are provided with the dog's kennel, food bowl, bone, collar, leash, harness, training vest, and food. Any additional items you must provide yourself. We also seemed to be left with very few details about our foster right from the start. We felt like his life was a mystery because we didn't know how many fosters he had before us, what his strengths and weaknesses were, or what his overall training journey was like before he came to us.

When we took him in to be evaluated for the next stage of training, we were greeted by unfriendly staff who questioned why we brought our foster in and who we talked to about boarding him before his evaluation. Then she told the woman behind us to take her dog outside because she didn't realize it was a 4 Paws dog. When we picked him up after his evaluation he had a different collar (without his tags), harness, and leash.

And when we dropped our foster off to say goodbye at the end of the summer we didn't get a thank you from the staff or what we can expect next. We didn't even know if he got into the next stage of service dog training. Communication and organization needs to improve greatly in order for us to foster another 4 Paws dog again.

I cannot express enough gratitude for the gift we have received. The facility is top notch, the staff are professional, knowledgeable, and caring. I would recommend to anyone needing a service dog.

This is such a wonderful organization. From the start if fundraising they will stick with you every step of the way, even after the retirement of a service dog. The family network on Facebook is amazing. The dogs are highly trained and worth so much more than what you are asked to fundraise. My son's SD has been so wonderful and he has helped my son in ways that no one really thought was possible.

We just received our daughter's autism service dog from 4 paws for ability and she is amazing! The staff is just phenomenal. These dogs are loved from day one by all staff and volunteers, treated wonderfully, cared for thoroughly, and trained to be amazing service dogs! We would definitely recommend anyone that needs a service dog to go here. From the CEO down they are an excellent company!