Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Foundation (PADs Foundation) provides a free training platform for clinically referred individuals with a long-term mental health diagnosis. This platform is designed to guide handlers and their dogs through the structured training process and criteria required for their dog to become a legally recognised assistance dog.
If we have volunteer trainers available in your area, PADs Foundation can provide training free of charge. However, due to limited volunteers, many members will work with their own qualified, registered dog trainers while following our programme. Our platform includes staged, structured classes and assessments that you and your trainer can complete together. While we cannot guarantee that you and your dog will make it through the rigorous training, we can assure you that ethical training with a registered professional will strengthen the vital bond you share with your dog.
Once your dog has successfully completed training, we will arrange an in-person Public Access Test (PAT). Passing this test allows you to apply for full PADs Membership as a fully trained assistance dog team. For further information on eligibility, please see our Becoming A Member and Application Process pages.
We are committed to improving the quality of life and independence of people with psychiatric disabilities, by having a psychiatric assistance dog.
This has two advantages:
1. To reduce the pressures on the National Health & Mental Health Service by helping registered members of pads.foundation to gain independence through the use of their Psychiatric Assistance Dogs.
2. To reduce the need for a carer which not only increases self-esteem and independence but also reduces care-costs.
We provide information on the rights of Psychiatric Assistance dog users, information on how to train your own dog. We provide help with choosing the right breed and individual dog as a psychiatric assistance dog as well as information on the Public Access test needed for you to gain membership. We will be providing resources for the public and businesses and friends, family and carers.
To utilise an assistance dog, regardless of the type of disability, a handler must qualify as disabled under the Equality Act of 2010. This means that their disability must have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Psychological assistance dogs in other countries have been used by people with a wide variety of diagnoses, including Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, PTSD, and Schizophrenia.
PADs UK welcomes applications from individuals living with a variety of psychological conditions, provided there is a recommendation from their doctor or psychiatrist. We do not discriminate based on diagnosis or any other factor. Each applicant has a clinical referral and is assessed to ensure that an assistance dog would be beneficial, that they can meet the dog’s welfare needs, and that the partnership would complement their ongoing treatment plan.
Please see Paws for Access
Purposes of the Charity
The purpose of the Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Foundation are to relieve those in need as a result of having a psychiatric disability by:
a) Education or training persons with a psychiatric disability in the proper and safe ethical training of their psychiatric assistance dog;
b) Raising public awareness of psychiatric disabilities and the benefits of assistance dogs to persons with such a disability;
c) Otherwise supporting persons with a psychiatry disability in particular with their ownership and training of an assistance dog with a view to promoting their independence in society.
Psychiatric Assistance Dogs Foundation (PADs Foundation) has been entered into the Register of Charities as of 21st June 2017 with the Registered Charity Number 1173512