FAQ’s
We’ll answer here the questions we get asked everyday. If the information you’re looking for isn’t explained just send and e-mail to wendy@wags4kids.com or phone 216-406-7656.
Q: What do these dogs do to help a child?
A: WAGS 4 Kids trains both mobility service and skilled companion animals. Skilled companion animals feature a dog with a child safe disposition, temperament and behavior. Commands are trained with both verbal cues and hand signals so that either may be used. Skilled Companionship is valuable in addressing improved social interactions, visual and tactile stimulation, self-motivated behavior, as well as encouraging emotional bonding.
Mobility service animals have additional training of task assignment which may include: retrieval of objects, opening doors and drawers, hitting light switches or preparing as a brace animal to walk slowly next to a child for physical support.
Q: Where do these dogs come from?
A: WAGS 4 Kids selects dogs for this intensive training program as puppies. We work with breeders, rescue groups and dog shelters to find available dogs. Puppies are carefully selected after passing tests of temperament, disposition and attention.
Q: Who trains these dogs?
A: All successful dog training starts with picking the right puppy and having a training plan. WAGS 4 Kids’ training manual “Dogs Don’t Speak English” is a complete step-by-step guide. This is the exact method used by WAGS staff of trainers, by the families who receive these dogs to partner with their children and by the foster families who help raise these dogs in training.
All of WAGS’ dogs begin their training by these exact methods in a structured “cell dog” training program with a select group of inmates at The North Central Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio. Much like shows you may have seen on “The Animal Plant”, WAGS has designed a training protocol to train inmates as animal trainers. The WAGS staff enters prison each week to train these men to train our dogs, to monitor each dog’s progress and to give specific instruction based on the need of each waiting child.
After completion of the prison training program, dogs are moved to volunteer foster families. Here, the animals learn about the world around them and experience car rides, trips to the grocery store and the sounds on a typical home environment. WAGS trainers meet with the foster families weekly to monitor and direct the training of each animal. WAGS is always in need of more foster homes.
Q: How do I foster a service animal?
A: There is no special experience required. WAGS is looking for families willing to give of their hearts and their time. Our staff of trainers makes weekly visits to your home to work on each training exercise in the WAGS manual. Progress and problems are worked on individually so the dog has the best chance for success. The costs of food, equipment and veterinarian care are all covered by WAGS 4 Kids. Applications can be found online www.wags4kids.com or e-mail with your address and an application can be mailed to you. Every foster family has the opportunity to meet and know the child and family who will be receiving their dog at the end of training.
Q: Is it difficult for a foster family to give the dog back?
A: We understand that some attachment will form during the training process. We try to limit each foster assignment to approximately six months to help with that transition. Some families have said that when it is time to send on one of the foster pups they want us to bring another new pup at the same time. Jumping back into the process has made all the difference.
For those who have participated as a foster family, the joy and accomplishment of placing a dog with one of the many children who are waiting is a gift that changes their own life.
Q: Who is eligible to receive a dog?
A: WAGS 4 Kids is the only organization of its kind, placing exclusively to children up to the age of 16. Many of our applicants are families with children in the five to twelve-year-old range. WAGS 4 Kids is driven by its belief in early intervention and will work to partner a dog as early in a child’s life as there is a need and an interest. All applicants must provide physician verification of disability as protected by the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Q: How do we apply?
A: A request for an application must be in writing. You must provide the name and age of the child and your mailing (No P.O. Boxes) address. You can do this by e-mail to wendy@wags4kids.com or by mail to WAGS 4 Kids, 112 E. Center St, Berea, OH 44017.
Q: How long will my child wait to receive a dog?
A: We generally are able to make a placement within two years. Skilled companion animals may be available somewhat sooner. The critical factor in having dogs available for placement, is our need in finding more foster families to work toward raising these animals.
Q: How does WAGS fund this program and what is the cost to a family?
A: Working Animals Giving Service for Kids, Inc. (WAGS 4 KIDS) is a federal 501(c)(3) charity. As a federal charity, all donations to WAGS 4 KIDS are tax deductible. WAGS holds fund raisers and participates in events throughout the year. We also ask families receiving an animal to make a commitment to do fund raising for WAGS, in their own communities with the people they know and the companies they do business with. Go to www.wags4kids.org/KidsInNeed.htm and take a moment to look at the faces of the children who are waiting for a special dog of their own. Read their stories and see if you might help.
Q: How can I help?
A: While our biggest need is always finding foster homes, not every family is able to give in that way. There are lots of opportunities to help WAGS 4 Kids. We appreciate the time and talents of people who want to plan or work at fundraising events. We need help with office work, accounting and writers for our newsletter. If you have a talent, please come and share it with us.
The total cost is approximately $15,000 per dog. We need the generosity of your tax deductible donations and your ability to spread the word about WAGS 4 Kids.
Tell the people you know and the people you work for, that their financial gift to WAGS 4 Kids goes directly to children in this community that need their help.
If you belong to a group or club looking for a cause to support...........
If you’ve got a great idea for a new fund raiser ...............
If your company will sponsor a dog for a child ...............
Don’t be shy – contact us at WAGS 4 KIDS
