in school programs

Since 1996 ADW trainers have worked with students at Santa Fe, Albuquerque and other Northern NM schools and agencies, delivering the ADW School Assistance Dog Program curricula. Schools have included Santa Fe Prep, Desert Academy, La Mariposa Montessori, Wood Gormley Elementary, Monte Del Sol Charter, Camino De Paz Montessori and Santa Fe Academy of Science and Math. After School programs include students from many other Santa Fe and Albuquerque schools as well as Santa Fe and Chmayo Boys & Girls Clubs. Vocational and detention programs such as Adelante Development Center, People Centered Services, Santa Maria El Mirador, the Albuquerque Youth Diagnostic and Detention Center and Seqouyah Treatment Center have also had the benefit of customized programs. Each semester, a maximum of 10 students participate in each class. These student training programs provide invaluable support to prepare the dogs who “graduate” each year. Please click to see the Many Faces of ADW video for real time with students.

Though there are over 60 service-dog training organizations in the country, few incorporate educational programs. Most programs use professional trainers alone to work with service dogs. ADW is unique in working in elementary, middle and high schools with 8 to18-year-olds, in detention centers with juvenile detainees and in vocational programs with developmentally disabled adults to support the assistance dog training process. Each of these student audiences receives in depth training through specific, formal and continually improving curricula.

The support provided by these student programs not only helps shorten the average waiting time for ADW clients to 6 to 18 months (25% faster than the national average), it also helps keep ADW program costs down: $15,000 per dog, compared to the national average of $25,000 (up to 40% less.)

“Being trained by younger students and adults with developmental disabilities lets our dogs learn to respond to the less authoritative voice. Dogs are taught softly so they can work and respond more softly. This allows us to successfully place our dogs with clients of all ages and abilities.”
— Jill Felice, ADW Founder/Program Director

Many service-dog organizations focus on providing animals to adults who have problems with mobility caused by disease, stroke or traumatic accidents. At ADW, the age range for the clients who receive dogs is 5 to 95. About 25% of our animals have gone to clients 15 years and younger. Children with autism, veterans with PTSD, and people with seizure disorders have been successful recipients, along with clients challenged by MS, Cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, stroke, traumatic brain injuries, Spinobifida, post-polio and a variety of mental health issues.