Thank you for your interest in The Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (JLAD).

When we receive this signed document, we will send you the complete application for a Civilian JLAD service dog. Our mission:

To provide skilled, devoted companions to support and assist veterans, first responders, and others with disabilities, creating cohesive teams focused on building a life of greater freedom and independence.

JLAD conducts its business and acceptance process in a manner that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, age, veteran status, genetic information, military assistance, or other protected status.

Services We Offer:

 JLAD dogs assist people with primary mobility impairment such as multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, paraplegia, tetraplegia, arthritis, amputation, stroke, or traumatic brain or spinal cord injury, and PTSD. However, JLAD will NOT train behaviors that encourage guarding, protecting, or searching for a threat.  In addition, our dogs are not trained for emotional support nor medical alert.  

JLAD does not train dogs to assist individuals with seizure disorders, blood sugar disorders, those with significant vision loss, and companion or emotional support dogs.  The Owner Trained Program may take between six and eighteen months depending on the needs of the client and the dog.

Qualifying Criteria for the Dog

Any dog not meeting JLAD required standards will not be accepted in to our program.  If you are unsure if your dog breed meets our criteria, please contact us prior to submitting this form as this form must be accompanied by the application fee, which is non-refundable!

To be accepted into the program:

1. The dog must be at least 12 months of age and no more than 36 months of age to enroll in the Owner Trained program.
2. The dog must pass the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test prior to enrollment.  A copy of this certificate will need to be submitted during our interview or mailed and received prior to the interview.
3. Dog breeds must be void of guarding and herding instincts, such as found in Shepherds, Rottweilers, Staffordshire Terriers, Huskies, Dobermans, McNab, Australian Cattle Dog, Cane Corso, to name a few.
4. JLAD will not train any tasks that arouse a dogs prey drive, or fear to elicit a display of aggression for defense purposes.
5. Mixed breeds will require genetic testing to ensure guarding/herding instincts are excluded.
6. Adult dogs must weigh a minimum of 45 pounds and not exceed 100 pounds. 
7. The dog must be spayed or neutered prior to 18 months of age. 
8. The dog must remain current on all vaccinations.  Copies of veterinary records must be provided to JLAD on a yearly basis.
9. The dog must pass all health clearances required of an assistance dog which are, hips, elbows, heart and eyes, between the ages of 12 and 18 months.
10. The dog must meet all standards required to become a certified assistance dog.
11. The dog must perform a task that mitigates his handler's disability in a significant manner and must be specific to the handler's disability.
12. The dog must meet the same program standards as the dogs trained and placed by JLAD.

To graduate from the program the dog must:

1.  The task(s) to be trained must be directly related to the client’s disability

2.  Dogs must exhibit friendly public interaction

·    tolerance to a high level of stress

·    sensitivity without anxiety

·     the ability to perceive environmental and interpersonal cues

·     the ability to complete tasks in very difficult and emotional situations

·     no reactivity, possessiveness, guarding behaviors or increased anxiety.

The Client's Responsibility to JLAD

1. The applicant must be at least 18 years of age to apply to this program.

2. Applicant must have a qualifying disability that impacts their quality of life, independence, and activities of daily living.

3. The application process must be completed within three months of submitting this form. Any incomplete applications will considered abandoned after three months and our system will auto delete it at that time.  

4. Applicants must have a stable home environment, support of all other household and family members, be financially stable, open minded, and have a willingness to learn.

5. Applicants living in group/transition homes are not eligible for a JLAD service dog.

6. Applicants must have a referral or recommendation from their healthcare provider.  This is included in Part C of the application

7. Training must be completed within a consecutive two-year period or the team will be dropped from the program.

8. More than three absences during any six month period is cause for dismissal from the program.

9. The owner will attend weekly classes held in consecutive increments of six months. 

10. Teams must live within an hour's drive from our facility in Salem, OR. No virtual classes are available.

11. The client must attend Team Training, a two week session in Salem, OR, and pass the Public Access Test (PAT) before JLAD will deem you a certified working team. If a disability limits the client's ability to participate in Team Training, as assistant may help with writing tasks.

12. The client must be able to perform all handling requirement. 

13. A yearly veterinary report must be submitted by the client for their dog.

14. Recertification is required every two years.  Receipts and their dogs will need to return to JLAD for this process.  Virtual recertification arrangements may be requested, and must be scheduled at least two months prior to the schedule PAT to which the client was invited.  Failure to take the PAT is cause for revoking the certification of the team. All equipment issued by JLAD and all items bearing the JLAD logo will need to be returned immediately.  Extenuating circumstances need to be submitted to our board of directors for approval.

15. The team must meet all standard set forth by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) to be certified as a working team.

16. The owner must keep a current contingency plan on file for the dog, with JLAD, in the event that the owner is not able to care for the dog. The care is not the responsibility of JLAD.  In addition to the above mentioned criteria, it is understood that JLAD is not responsible for respite care nor rehoming the dog for any reason. 

JLAD’s Responsibilities to The Client:

 

JLAD fill follow up, first weekly, then monthly, with the client for the first six months, at nine months, and yearly thereafter to assure a smooth transition into this new working partnership.  Follow-ups will be accomplished using a real-time, two-way communication by a staff member or trained volunteer. Six months after the client's partnership with a dog, the partnership will be reevaluated, and if appropriate, full ownership of the dog will be transferred to the client. 

 

JLAD is available for remedial training, and assisting with new tasks to mitigate a client’s functional level, within reason, as well as non-emergency behavior and/or medical issues that may develop. Many training issues can be resolved with a phone conversation or the exchange of emails.  We urge you to contact us “sooner than later” as the sooner you get answers to your questions, the sooner the issue will be rectified.  If the recipient however requests “in person help” to train a new skill, charges may apply for these sessions. JLAD reserves the right to determine if the recipient needs to pay for training session charges. JLAD will provide refresher training as needed as well as support clients with legal issues should they arise.  If a client fails to maintain the training and prescribed behavior of their dog, and the dog becomes non-compliant, JLAD will not be responsible for the re-training of the dog, nor will JLAD be held responsible to replace such a dog. Regarding our program:

1. JLAD will provide clients with a printed training manual.
2. A least intrusive, minimally aversive (LIMA) training methodology will be used in training of all dogs in our program.
3. JLAD, at it's sole discretion, will decide when the team is ready to go through the team training process and take the Public Access Test (PAT).
4. The owner will be provided instruction in meeting the ADI minimum standards for assistance dogs in public.  The owner must be able to demonstrate: 

1. That the dog can perform a task directly related to their disability.That the client has understanding of canine care and health.
2. That the client has knowledge of acceptable training techniques.
3. The ability to maintain training, problem solve, and continue to train/add new skills (as required) with their assistance dogs.
4. Knowledge of federal, state and local access laws, and appropriate behavior.
5. Meet recertification requirements every two years by successfully passing the PAT.  As a JLAD client this must be done through us in Salem, Oregon.  Virtual recertification arrangements can be requested and scheduled at least two months prior to the PAT, to which the client was invited. Failure to do so, and not attending the scheduled PAT, is cause for revoking the certification of the team.   All equipment bearing the JLAD logo will need to be returned immediately.  Extenuating circumstances need to be submitted to our board of directors for evaluation.  If the PAT is not completed successfully, the owner and dog will be required to participate in remedial training.  The PAT must be successfully completed within 30 days of the original testing, unless there are extenuating circumstances as determined by JLAD.  Failure to successfully complete the PAT within the allotted time, will result in the dog not being certified as an assistance dog.  Tuition money will not be refunded and the ADI electronic ID Card will be deactivated. 
6. Identification of the dog as an assistance dog will be accomplished with an electronic ID card with a photo and names of the team.  Whenever the dog is in public, the dog must wear a coat, a harness, or other similar piece of equipment, or clothing that is clean and easy to read which identifies the dog as an assistance dog.
7. The dog must be friendly in public interactions. 

However, JLAD will NOT train behaviors that encourage guarding, protecting, or searching for a threat.  In addition, our dogs are not trained for emotional support or medical alert.   In regard to this training, dogs:

Client’s Responsibilities to The Dog

1.       Applicants must be willing and able to provide for the dog’s physical needs:

a.      Food, water, and shelter

b.      Daily exercise, a minimum of 20 min, twice a day

c.       Flee/tick/heartworm medication

d.      Yearly veterinary care as well as emergency medical care

2.       Applicant must be willing and able to provide for the dog’s emotional needs:

a.      Mental stimulation

b.      Love and affection

3.    

In addition to the above mentioned responsibilities, it is understood that JLAD is not responsible for respite care nor rehoming the dog for any reason. The applicant must be willing and able to provide for all expenses associated with a dog.  The average yearly cost to care for a dog is $2500.00.  

 JLAD's Responsibilities to The Dog:

 JLAD removes service dog status from a dog whose person fails to care for the dog in the agreed manner, and/or the dog is not kept within the contract weight, or take appropriate action, to ensure the welfare and soundness of the dog, in all circumstances. JLAD’s policy ensures that, if a dog is removed from service status, someone who is part of the client’s support system will be notified.

Our Process:

Upon acceptance of the application, JLAD will schedule an in-home visit, ZOOM, Goggle Meets, or FaceTime, depending or your distance from our headquarters.  The purpose of this visit is to meet with you, as many family members as possible, any others living in your home, and family pets.  This meeting helps JLAD understand all elements that will influence the working environment of a service dog.  JLAD will determine acceptance of applicant based on the task-based needs of the applicant. 

Program Cost:

Non-refundable Application fee: $155.00 to be submitted with this form

First six-month increment of weekly classes: $3000.00

Consecutive increments of weekly classes: $2000.00

Prices are subject to change each calendar year but will be honored for the year the application was received. If a client withdraws from the program at any time prior to graduation, though no fault of JLAD, any fees paid to date will be retained by JLAD.

Application Process

1. Submit this completed form and the non-refundable application fee

2. (a) Upon acceptance of the breed, size, weight, and age of your dog, as well as receiving  your completed application, we will contact you to set up an In-home visit.    

    (b) If the dog is declined for any reason, or your submitted application is declined, we will notify you and no further action is necessary.

3. If all looks good,  we will schedule the In Home Visit after which we will either accept or decline you into the Owner Trained program via email..

4. Upon acceptance into the Owner Trained program,  we will discuss which class would be best suited for you.  

No applicant, client, or graduate is required to participate in fundraising for JLAD, nor be involved in public relations activities without their expressed and voluntary permission.

The cost of a dog is established upon acceptance into the program. If a client declines placement of the dog when a match is made, JLAD will delay placement of a dog one time. Should a client decline placement for a second time, JLAD reserves the right to update the price of the dog to the current price.

If you have further questions, please contact us at:  503-551-4572 or info@joydogs.org.  

By typing my name below, I acknowledge having read the terms of this document and accept the conditions set forth by JLAD.