Apply for a home assistance canine
What is a home assistance canine?
Our canine home assistance scheme places our highly trained dogs with adults with physical disabilities and conditions, to provide vital practical support in the home.
Our home assistance canines are tailor-trained to their partner’s needs and can carry out important practical tasks inside the home that our partners may find painful, tiring or physically cannot do themselves. This could include retrieving dropped items, calling help in an emergency, helping with undressing, and many more.
Dogs in our canine home assistance programme are specifically trained to provide practical support in the home only, so they do not have public access rights in shops or public environments. However, home assistance canines are trained to accompany their partners on walks in the local outdoor areas for exercise.
In return, our partners and their support network must be able to provide for all of the dog’s needs, including exercise and health needs. Canine home assistance partners are required to undertake a Partnership Training Course and our Aftercare Team will support the partnership for the full working life of the dog.
‘I could never have dreamed that life would ever be this good. My overall physical and mental health has improved, and I have a better relationship with my family.
I feel confident to visit new places independently, as I know Laila is able to support me. Laila assists me with tasks around the home, which means I have more energy to go out and enjoy life with my four-legged best friend’. – Andy with home assistance canine Laila
How do I apply for a home assistance canine?
We are currently closed to new applications but please see more information below about applying in future. We will update this website page and our social media at least 4 weeks before there are any updates on opening to new applications. (Page last updated July 2024)
We are currently closed to new applications for our canine home assistance programme. As an ADUK charity, we are committed to prioritising returning partnerships who have previously been placed with one of our dogs, to enable them to continue to maintain their independence and retain the benefit that their previous dog has given them. At present, we are therefore focussed on working with those who are already assessed and on our waiting list, and our returning partnerships, whose dogs are no longer working.
To find out if you would be eligible to apply when we reopen to home assistance canine applications, please see our Home assistance canine applicant information pack here or click the button below.
Download the canine home assistance applicant information pack
To manage demand for our services and the time that applicants are on our waiting list, we will open our waiting list at specific times and to specified locations.
The information you will need to provide and how to make a first-stage application for a home assistance canine will appear on this page at least four weeks prior to the next opening date. This is to ensure that you have enough time to check your eligibility and prepare for making your first-stage application.
Due to such high demand, upon receiving all first-stage applications, a set number of these applications will then be automatically and impartially selected by a computer program, to go through to second-stage assessment. This approach enables all potential applicants a fair opportunity to apply, whilst enabling us to best manage our wait times for those who do go on to join our waiting list within our resources available to support our home assistance canine partnerships in all regions of the UK.
Other services and options
Canine partner assistance dog
Fully jacketed assistance dogs with public access rights. Suitable for those who need assistance within the home and in public.
Canine companion
Dogs placed in a home where there is an adult or a child with a physical disability or condition who would benefit from the companionship and emotional support.
Rehome a Canine Partners dog
Dogs that are unsuited to life as an assistance dog due to health or behavioural requirements, but would make a loving pet dog.
Alternatively, if you need assistance dog support for a different disability, condition or impairment, please visit the ADUK website where various assistance dog charities cater for many different needs and requirement.
After reading the above information, if you have any specific enquiries or questions about applying for home assistance canine, please contact us by emailing applicationsenquiries@caninepartners.org.uk or calling 01730716042.
Thank you for your patience while we aim to get back to you as soon as possible