About ADW

Assistance Dogs of the West provides trained service dogs to people with disabilities in order to increase self-reliance and independence. We teach students to train dogs to help people.

Since 1995, ADW has taught elementary, middle and high school students, juvenile detention center students and developmentally disabled students to train assistance dogs. Students learn from professional ADW instructor/trainers in structured School Assistance Dog Program classes, using a continually improving curriculum, and emerge from the program with increased leadership skills, compassion and self-esteem. Assistance Dogs of the West uses the School Assistance Dog Program to enhance the lives and opportunities for mainstream and at-risk students in New Mexico, to train our dogs most effectively and to keep our costs low.

ADW assistance dogs learn a minimum of 90 commands and are placed with clients to help overcome physical mobility and psycho-social challenges caused by various diseases, trauma or injury. Seizure dogs alert and respond to the needs of clients with seizure disorders, and psychiatric support and social therapy dogs work with individuals or groups offering avenues for increased socialization to lives with challenges. ADW client/recipients have diverse ethnic backgrounds, financial means and ages, from 5 to 95 years old.

The average national client waiting period to receive an assistance dog is five years. The ADW waiting period is 6 to 24 months, depending upon dog availability and appropriate capability matching between client and dog. The ADW training program costs $15,000 per dog, while the national average is $25,000 (40% higher). ADW has 25-30 dogs in training annually. Clients contribute a one time fee toward the cost of the dog upon placement ($3500/assistance dog and $2500/social therapy dog), which helps to underwrite the Client Placement Training. Payment plans are available.