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  1. About us
  2. FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions



I bought a dog from a private company. They said it would be trained to help me but it is not working out and I am having problems. Can you help me?

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The capacity of our charity’s work is limited by funds and resources. Our charity is already working at full capacity to help our clients who have applied for a support dog through our existing programmes. 

Published: 2nd May, 2018

Updated: 20th June, 2018

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Do you provide dogs to help people with mental health issues, anxiety or panic attacks?

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We do not specifically train dogs to assist with these conditions, although some of our clients report that this is a secondary benefit they have experienced in 

Published: 4th May, 2018

Updated: 8th June, 2018

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Do you get any government funding to pay for the dogs and the training?

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We receive no government funding and rely entirely on voluntary donations and fundraising to continue transforming lives of those affected by autism, epilepsy and disability.

Published: 25th May, 2018

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Do you train dogs to alert to non-epileptic seizures?

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Our charity’s area of expertise is training dogs to alert to epileptic seizures and we are also limited by our resources. 

Published: 8th June, 2018

Updated: 20th June, 2018

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My dog is helping me already can I just register with you and buy an assistance dog jacket?

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All support dogs must go through our charity's rigorous selection assessment and training programme inline with Assistance Dogs International guidelines and standards before they can become a registered as a support dog with our charity. This process can take up to 2 years. 

Published: 8th June, 2018

Updated: 28th May, 2021

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Do you provide dogs to people living in Northern Ireland or overseas?

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Due to our limited resources we currently have to restrict our coverage of support to the whole of Mainland UK (England, Scotland, and Wales). The exception to this is our autism programme, which again due to particularly high demand and limited resources, is restricted to a maximum of 2 hours road travel from our Sheffield training centre.

Published: 8th June, 2018

Updated: 20th June, 2018

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How much does it cost to train and maintain a Support Dog? .

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We provide our services entirely free of charge to those who will benefit from our work. We do not ask for any payment for our work.

The cost to our charity of each support dog partnership, from initial training, to client training and support throughout its working life, is approximately £36,000.

Published: 8th June, 2018

Updated: 20th June, 2018

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Showing 10 of 7

Latest

  • Dog-loving Karlie’s dream job

    Dog-loving Karlie’s dream job

    Getting paid to work with puppies? It’s every dog lover’s dream job. But what is it really like to be a Support Dogs’ puppy coordinator? Karlie Wilson spills the beans.

  • Three canine heroes change Ann’s life

    Three canine heroes change Ann’s life

    As Support Dogs celebrates its 30th anniversary, long-term client Ann, who has epilepsy, looks back over some memorable moments with her three life-saving seizure alert dogs – and at what life was like before her first support dog.

  • Support dog of the future Alex makes two families proud

    Support dog of the future Alex makes two families proud

    Puppy Alex is keeping the memory alive of a young man called Alex who died after an epileptic seizure.

  • Lockdown silver lining for Diana and her support dog Lennie

    Lockdown silver lining for Diana and her support dog Lennie

    Diana and her Labrador Retriever Lennie qualified as a disability assistance partnership despite starting their training in unpromising circumstances.

Most read

  • Autism assistance

    Autism assistance

    Our autism assistance dog programme works to increase safety and the ability to have more socially inclusive life for children aged between 3 and 10 years of age with autism and their families.

  • Disability assistance

    Disability assistance

    Our disability assistance dogs are trained to support their owners by carrying out tasks tailored to their needs such as dressing and undressing, loading and unloading the washing machine, and raising the alarm. They also enable clients to lead more sociable, independent lives.

  • Epilepsy seizure alert

    Epilepsy seizure alert

    Our seizure alert dogs are trained to provide a 100% reliable warning up to 50 minutes prior to an oncoming epileptic seizure, enabling clients to get to a place of safety, and enabling them to live more independently.

  • What we do

    What we do

    Support Dogs is a charity training autism assistance dog, epilepsy seizure alert dogs and disability assistance dogs for those affected by a wide range of physical conditions including MS, Cerebral Palsy and fibromyalgia.

  • Job vacancies

    Search here for Support Dogs' jobs' vacancies.

  • Volunteering with our dogs

    Volunteering with our dogs

  • Foster Caring - Bed and Breakfast

    Foster Caring - Bed and Breakfast

    As Support Dogs doesn't use kennel facilities for its dogs-in-training, we are always looking for evening and weekend and stay-at-home foster carers to provide a loving home for our canine trainees.

  • How much does it cost to train and maintain a Support Dog? .

  • Could you be a puppy socialiser?

    Could you be a puppy socialiser?

    Could you do something amazing in 2022? We are looking for volunteer puppy socialisers to join our team to provide a loving home and help us prepare our puppies over their first year in training.

  • Recycle your old stamps

    Recycle your old stamps

    Recycle your stamps to raise vital funds for our work

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Find us

Support Dogs
21 Jessops Riverside,
Brightside Lane,
Sheffield, S9 2RX

Registered Charity No. 1088281

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