Frequently Asked Questions

SandyPaws primarily works with Golden Retrievers. The sire and dam of the puppies must have a calm, gentle and confident temperament. Golden Retrievers are widely used and have the highest rate of success in the industry. They instinctively retrieve; a very important part of their daily work, and the public perceives these dogs to have a gentle, kind temperament, making acceptance with the public easier.

To have a successful program, selection of a dog is critical. An assistance dog candidate must have the right temperament, bone structure and health. Acquiring dogs through a shelter is both labor intensive and time consuming.

The dogs most likely to pass our rigid standards are also likely the first to be adopted from the shelters. As a relatively small, primarily volunteer organization, SandyPaws With A Cause feels procuring dogs from shelters is neither time nor cost-effective. Our mission is to place quality assistance dogs with people with disabilities. Time and money spent searching for the right shelter dog can more effectively be spent training dogs that have a higher percentage rate of success. Our program does ensure that before finding either a full time placement or a full time loving home, each dog is spayed or neutered, and EVERY dog in our program either goes on to a full time placement or a loving home.

At this time, we are dedicated to working with the dogs we procure to place as assistance dogs and do not train privately owned dogs.

People with physical or developmental disabilities who can demonstrate that an SandyPaws assistance dog will enhance their independence or their quality of life are qualified to apply. All qualifying applicants will be considered and evaluated without regard to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or other categories protected by law.

Please note we do not train assistance dogs for the following:

• Diabetes detection
• Seizure alert
• Hearing Dogs – for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Guide Dogs – for the blind and visually impaired
• Alert to dangerous situations/provide safety
• Protection work
• Alerting handler to take medication

Applications are reviewed and evaluated as they are received. SandyPaws For A Cause strives to make the best match between dog and recipient, so time frames will vary.

SandyPaws For A Cause is funded by private contributions, gifts from businesses, civic groups and service clubs, grants from corporations and foundations, and ongoing fundraising activities such as special events and mailings.

The adoption fee for a family pet puppy is $2,000 and current wait time is 3-5 months.

Visits are by appointment only and are dependent on if we have puppies and how old they are. We don't allow visitors if we currently have puppies less than 6 weeks old. NO EXCEPTIONS!!