4 PAWS FOR ABILITY INC
Taking the "dis" out of disability
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
4 Paws envisions a world where people with disabilities can realize their full potential one service dog at a time. 4 Paws addresses this problem by breeding, raising, and training high quality service dogs.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Service Dogs
Autism Assistance Dogs
Most requested and most often placed, Autism Assistance Dogs have the ability to track a child that has wandered off, keep the child with the caregiver in public, and are trained to respond to a child’s repetitive behaviors to stop the behavior(s).
Hearing Ear Dog
Assist the hearing impaired by alerting them to the presence of a sound in the environment. The dog learns to respond to verbal and hand signals and work for toys or affection. It is trained to make physical contact and lead someone to the source of a sound.
Mobility Assistance Dog
Increase the independence of someone who uses a wheelchair, has trouble standing, and/or with ambulating such as people with spinal cord or brain injuries, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, and Cerebral Palsy. These dogs can be taught to help pull a manual chair up a hill and retrieve dropped items among many other tasks.
Multipurpose Assistance Dog
A creative solution for someone who does not fit into one category, which includes people with multiple issues or diagnoses such as Down Syndrome, Fragile X, ADHD, or mental health issues.
Seizure Assistance Dog
Trained to complete a variety of tasks from alerting to behavior disruption. Seizure medications often cause behavioral or balance issues and the dogs can help to stabilize the child by wearing a harness that the child can hold. The dogs are trained to remain calm in a chaotic environment and can recognize an impending seizure and signal the child's caregivers before it happens. Diabetic Alert Dog can be trained to alert to high or low blood sugar for a child with Type 1 Diabetes and a veteran with Type 1 or 2 Diabetes
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of children served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Service Dogs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
On average, 4 Paws trains and places 120 service dogs across North America every year.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
4 Paws for Ability is seeking to provide as many children as possible around the world, within the scope of our ability, with access to qualified service dogs trained specifically for their needs, with no minimum age, and regardless of the severity of the disability. It seeks to fill a gap that exists in providing children with life-threatening and other disabilities with service dogs to help them manage their disabilities and lead more independent lives. 4 Paws also honors veterans from recent combat with service dogs to assist with hearing, mobility, seizures, PTSD, TBI, and diabetes.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
4 Paws for Ability utilizes hundreds of volunteers to help keep our costs down. From our foster parents who help raise our puppies, to our inmates from five Ohio correctional facilities who help train our dogs in basic obedience, to our college campus programs where students socialize the dogs—our service dogs in training are getting exposed to as many people and settings as possible. By utilizing this strategy, when the dogs are ready for their advanced training, our staff of trainers can get right to work on task-training them to the specific needs of the child or veteran.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
4 Paws for Ability is a comprehensive service dog organization that strives to take the “dis" out of disability by providing Autism Assistance Dogs (with or without Search and Rescue/Tracking ability), Seizure Alert and Response Dogs, Mobility Assistance Dogs, Hearing Ear/Signal Dogs, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder/Drug Exposed Dogs, Diabetic Alert and Response Dogs, Facilitated Guide Dogs, and Multipurpose Assistance Dogs (covers multiple disabilities that can include Down Syndrome, Fragile X, Apraxia, ADHD, a variety of mental health diagnoses, medically frail children, and life-threatening medical illnesses such as cancer). The most common requested service dog is an Autism Assistance Dog with Search and Rescue/Tracking ability followed by Seizure Alert and Response Dogs. 4 Paws for Ability was the first and is the largest organization in the U.S. to place Autism Assistance Dogs with Search and Rescue/Tracking ability. 4 Paws for Ability is recognized and recommended by several national Autism organizations. Most have been referred by physicians or therapists.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Hundreds of families have realized hope for their children by getting a service dog through 4 Paws for Ability. Success measurements at 4 Paws are based on whether having a service dog has improved the lives of the child and the family. Once the family has completed their 12-day training and passed a public access test, we follow up with each family on a regular basis. In addition, the families have access to the trainers at any time through e-mail, phone, or text messaging. Another indication of success is through two closed, online groups that families can join to share their success stories. These groups allow families to remain in contact with each other, and it allows 4 Paws to continue measuring the success of our program.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
4 PAWS FOR ABILITY INC
Board of directorsas of 01/08/2024
Julie George
Gilman Partners
Term: 2023 -
Kathy Barnes
Skylight Financial
Beth Cesta
Retired, TeamHealth
Madeleine Hutchinson
JP Morgan Chase
Linda Davis
Retired
Hannah Carver
Branding and Communication Consultant
Chuck Bushnell
Caresource
Tanya Mahon-Gantzer
Retired
Josh McClanahan
Danis
Kim McNeer
Cincinnati Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Kelly O'Reilly
Ohio Association of Health Plans
Mark Thomas
Retired
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 01/08/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.