Together we can make a life-changing difference
Our highly trained & accredited Assistance Dogs provide confident, independent living for children & adults with physical disabilities
Dogs for the Disabled is a pioneering charity established in 2007. We train specially bred dogs to assist disabled children and adults to help them achieve greater independence in their lives.
We ethically breed and train Golden Retrievers, Labradors and Standard Poodles for specific physical disabilities.
We run an extremely successful Mobility Dog Programme and it is the only programme of its kind currently running in Europe.
We work with hospitals and community facilities where our dogs who do not graduate as Assistance Dogs are trained as Therapy Dogs and Canine Assisted Intervention (CAI) Facility Dogs for patients and service users.
We work with the Irish Prison Service who support our foster training programmes.
Welcome to our family
“Our dog partnerships transform the lives of adults and children living with physical disabilities. We provide a range of assistance programmes from Mobility and Task Assistance Dogs, to Therapy Dogs, Facility Dogs and community-based projects”
Please note that we DO NOT provide Autism Assistance Dogs nor Emotional Support Dogs, as there are three other organisations in Ireland doing so.
“Dogs for the Disabled are driven by our wish for a better world… a world where our partners are not limited by their physical disability but are active members of society.
We receive no government funding but year on year, with your continued help and support, we can grow and continue to create more powerful partnerships, opening more doors to change lives”
Jennifer Dowler, Founder & CEO
Mobility Dogs
Task Dogs
Facility Dogs
Therapy Dogs
€0 What our Partners Pay for one of our Assistance Dogs
€15k What it costs to produce one Assistance Dog
€0 Government Funding Annually
€600k What it currently costs to operate our charity
€1million What we will need per year to expand our services to meet demand
35 How many dogs we qualify per year
€0 What our Partners Pay for one of our Assistance Dogs €15k What it costs to produce one Assistance Dog €0 Government Funding Annually €600k What it currently costs to operate our charity €1million What we will need per year to expand our services to meet demand 35 How many dogs we qualify per year
Our Offaly County Champion Nisha & her Mobility Dog Phoenix
We have a very strict policy that no money exchanges hands for any of our dogs, for any specific child or adult. This is to ensure we retain legal ownership of each dog throughout their lifetime, which enables us to maintain their welfare and also that beneficiaries receive their dog based on NEED and not financial status.
“Paying it forward” …..while there's no obligation for applicants to engage in fundraising efforts to receive a dog, we do encouriage post qualification, that the families who receive our dogs get involved in our charity in any way they can, thus ensuring that another child or adult will benefit from the gift of an assistance dog like they did.
