Apply for a Heeling Allies Dog
Thank you for your interest in our program! While teaming up with a Heeling Allies dog can be a wonderful and life changing experience; it is not right for everyone. Before applying for a Heeling Allies Dog, please take a moment to ask yourself the questions below.
These questions will help determine whether you meet the criteria for a Heeling Allies Dog at this time.
- Have you talked to your healthcare providers about getting a Heeling Allies Dog?
- Do you have a condition that rises to the level of a disability?
- Have you been participating in treatment/receiving medical care specific to your disability for at least two years?
- Do you have people in your life that are supportive of you teaming up with a Heeling Allies Dog?
- Do you have the financial resources to invest in a support dog? If not, are you willing advocate to obtain alternative funding support (i.e. family, friends, churches, spearheading fundraising, loans, foundations, and etcetera.)
- Are you financially capable of providing proper care for a Heeling Allies dog long-term (i.e. food, vet care, and etcetera)?
- Are you willing to stay engaged with Heeling Allies for the life of the dog?
- Do you have the time, patience, and willingness required to reinforce the training and skills that a Heeling Allies dog will have acquired in our training program?
Heeling Allies is committed to making sure that the placement of our dogs is in best interest of both our clients and dogs themselves. There are seven steps in the application process and Steps #3 - #8 occur AFTER a phone interview with Darcie Boltz, Director.
We are listing each step of the process for your review and understand that completing all of these steps can seem a daunting task. We are here to support you throughout each step of the application process. Please do not hesitate to call or email us with any questions or concerns that may arise.
Step 1:
Tell us what type of Heeling Allies Program you are interested in applying for (Mental Health Service Dog, Emotional Support Dog or Skilled Companion Dog).
Step 2:
PHONE CONSULTATION with Darcie Boltz.
Step 3:
Application will be emailed to screened applicants on a case by case basis.
Step 4:
Complete your application and mail it to the address indicated on the application.
Please send pictures of
the home in which Heeling Allies dog will be living, along with your application. You may also send digital images via email. Please include
common areas, rooms, offices and yard (if applicable).
Please
note that images sent by mail will not be returned. If the images are
of significance to you, please make duplicates of them before mailing
them with your application.
Step 5:
Heeling Allies will contact you as soon as we have reviewed your application. If appropriate, we will schedule an interview by phone. (In many cases we will have already had a telephone conversation with you). The phone interview provides us with an opportunity to get to know you better, and for you to ask us any questions that you might have.
Step 6:
Please sign a Release of Information (ROI) with your health care professionals (i.e. mental health therapist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, occupational therapist, etcetera). This form gives the necessary members of the Heeling Allies team permission to communicate with your healthcare providers about your medical/mental health history, and current status; and discuss ways in which a Heeling Allies Dog can be trained to assist you in helping you reach your immediate and long-term goals.
Step 7:
Once we have had the opportunity to talk with your health care provider(s), if appropriate, we will contact you to schedule an in-person interview. At this time we will also schedule a separate interview with all members of your household (if any).
You may be interviewed by one or more members of the Heeling Allies team depending on your disability and presenting challenges. Whenever possible, in-person interviews are conducted in Seattle, WA. If you live outside of the state of Washington, in-person interviews may be conducted by Skype.
Step 8:
Heeling Allies will contact you within two business days following the in-person/Skype interview to let you know if you have been approved for a Heeling Allies Dog.
If you are approved for a Heeling Allies Dog, you should plan to begin Team Training, four to nine months from the date the your application was approved. The wait for a Heeling Allies dog is dependent upon the type of program you will be participating in, and program space availability. Once you have been approved for Heeling Allies' training program, we will tell you what your expected wait time will be.
Heeling Allies is located in Seattle, WA.
Serving the following states, on a case-by-case basis: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, North Dakota, South
Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee,
Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
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Rights Reserved.
