Once you have submitted your application, the ADAA will review the information and provide you with a response. If your application is accepted, we’ll arrange a video-based pre-assessment interview to discuss the assessment process and address any concerns or queries you may have. It’s important to note that submitting an application does not guarantee automatic acceptance for an assessment.
Some of the conditions we assess dogs for are (but not limited to):
– Physical disability
– Autism
– Mental health conditions including PTSD, Panic Disorder, Generalised Anxiety
– Medical detection for epilepsy, non epileptic seizures and diabetes
While we do provide assessments for clients with these conditions, we highly recommend partnering with a supporting charity/specialist trainerorganisation to assists with training for these conditions.
An assistance dog task is a behaviour that a dog is trained to do to mitigate their handler’s disability. Examples of tasks include but are not limited to:
– Deep Pressure Therapy
– Guiding
– Blocking/creating space
– Finding exits
– Alerting a handler to a seizure/medical episode before it happens
– Picking up dropped items
– Finding specific items such as phones or medication bags
– Locating a person in an emergency medical situation
– Pressing an alert button in an emergency
We require our dogs to be able to perform a minimum of three specialist tasks to help their handlers Download our task list here.
If your application is rejected, it could be due to various reasons such as the dog’s age falling outside our parameters, health concerns with the dog, the dog not being trained to assist with at least 3 tasks or your medical condition not aligning with our current remit. Unfortunately, due to the volume of applications we receive, we’re unable to provide individual feedback, and all rejections are final.
ADAA operates without government funding and relies solely on voluntary donations and fundraising efforts to continue providing assessments, support to teams, and education to service providers.
ADAA is a UK based charity and we only assess dogs on UK soil. Applicants can apply from abroad but must make their own way to the UK if they wish to book an assessment with us.
While we do request a small donation to cover a portion of our costs for assessments, this fee only represents a fraction of the total expenses incurred. Each assessment costs ADAA approximately £150, and we ask for a contribution of £50 (+ £2 processing fee). This fee is non-refundable, and any additional assessment untaken in the future will be chargeable.
The £50 or £75 for aviation donation (+£2 processing fee) covers the assessment in full. Successful teams receive their Qualified Assistance Dog Certificate.
Yes, the fee is payable upon application submission
Yes, once any feedback from your previous assessment has been addressed.
Yes, you will need to pay the same fee for each assessment.
We offer ID cards as an optional resource for teams who pass their assessment (for a small additional fee). Although not a legal requirement, some clients find ID cards helpful if faced with access challenges.
Yes, our lead slips can be paired with owner-trainer vests or vests from other charities/organisations, providing flexibility and recognition in various settings.
Providing your dog is not on the UK banned breed list ADAA can assess them to be an assisstance dog. Please check the UK Gov website for full details of banned breeds.
Please note Brachycephalic dogs are not permitted to take the ADAA aviation assessment – Please check the Kennel Club Website to see if your dog is Brachycephalic
