June, 2019 – Paws With A Cause, an organization that trains assistance dogs and places them with the disabled, is celebrating their 40th Anniversary this year! According to the website, “Paws With A Cause® enhances the independence and quality of life for people with disabilities nationally through custom-trained Assistance Dogs.”
Paws With A Cause is headquartered in Wayland, Michigan. The organization was founded in 1979, and was originally named Ears for the Deaf® until 1989. The founders, Michael Sapp and his wife Antoinette, created the organization to help train their friend’s dog -their friends were deaf and had just adopted a deaf baby – in hopes that the dog could alert the couple to various sounds like their baby crying. As time went on, more and more deaf and disabled people began asking for trained dogs to help them with their daily life, too.
Paws With A Cause now trains 4 different types of assistance dogs:
- Service Dogs for people with physical disabilities
- Hearing Dogs for people who are Hearing Impaired/Deaf
- Seizure Response Dogs for people with seizure disorders
- Service Dogs for Children with Autism
Over the last 40 years, Paws With A Cause has trained over 2,500 assistance dogs. The organization has also helped work with the Michigan Legislature to ensure laws are in place that benefit Service Dogs and other assistance dogs.
Paws With A Cause created this 40th Anniversary Video to showcase just some of the incredible work the organization has done in the community over the last 40 years.
In addition, Paws With A Cause held a 40th Anniversary Open House at their headquarters in Wayland, MI. The event showcased its new grooming facilities and included guided tours of the facility, assistance dog demonstrations, and plenty of food and fun.
We’d like to congratulate Paws With A Cause on 40 years of changing lives and assisting the community. If you’d like to get involved please see how you can help!