Canine Partners

We will be inviting first–stage applications for our canine home assistance programme soon. Please read more below. 

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

Interested in finding out more? 

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 by clicking the button below: 

Next opening dates for first-stage applications

How do I apply?

1. Read the Canine Home Assistance Information Pack to ensure you meet our eligibility criteria
2. Check if you are located within the regions we are opening applications to. We will be opening to the following counties in the South on these dates:

   Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Dorset, Essex, Greater London, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex
3. Check your availability to attend the Applicant Discovery Days. If you are selected to go through to second stage application, you will need to be able to attend one of three scheduled Applicant Discovery. These Discovery days will run on the following dates at the following locations:

   Tuesday 29 October 2024– 10:30-3:00pm in-person at the Canine Partners National Training Centre (LE12 9SR)

   Thursday 31 October 2024 – 10:30-2:30pm in-person at Petersfield Community Centre (GU31 4BW)

   Monday 4 November 2024 – 5:00pm-7:00pm- virtually via Microsoft Teams
4. Apply by clicking the linkthat will be made available below during the opening times (12pm Tuesday 8 October – 12pm Thursday 10 October) where you will then complete a first stage application form. For a first stage application, you will only be asked to provide personal contact details, details of your location, details of the disability in the home and confirmation you have read our information pack and eligibility.

Please wait for this link to be made available and do not email us with your application, as this will not count.

First-stage selection process

There are only a limited number of places available to go through to final waiting list.

An independent computer software system will impartially select this number of eligible applicants, who will then be invited to the second-stage of the application process. Only one application submitted will be counted so only one form should be submitted per applicant.  

All first-stage applications received during the above opening times will receive an email confirming the outcome of their application by Thursday 17 October 2024.

If you are unable to use the link that will be provided on this page on the opening dates, please contact us on applicationsenquiries@caninepartners.org.uk or 01730 716042 beforehand and we will give you a number to call during the opening times, where the application can be submitted on your behalf.