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Special PALS for Special Needs

Empowering lives with assistance and support dogs + training in Sonoma County, CA

Transforming lives, one paw at a time

Initially born out of our founder’s passion for children with disabilities and love of dogs, Paws As Loving Support (PALS) Assistance Dogs serves their community in various capacities and settings, all of which make a positive impact:

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Assisting children with disabilities & their families with their daily needs

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Unconditional love and motivation for folks with disabilities in various settings

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Emotional support to survivors and witnesses before, during and after court

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Offering social, therapy, reading, comfort, and comfort, crisis, peer support dog teams

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Explore classes to help train pet pups to be PALS in a variety of settings

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Our Mission

Paws As Loving Support Assistance Dogs, aka PALS, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enhancing the human/animal bond by providing specially trained and certified Service PALS, Facility PALS, Courthouse/Comfort PALS, and Social, Therapy, Reading, Comfort and Comfort, Crisis, Peer Support PALS teams. PALS has expanded our mission to include providing mental health and wellness services throughout our community.

How You Can Help

Whether you’re hoping to make a difference through donating or by volunteering your time and skills, we appreciate your support. No matter how you choose to get involved, your commitment will help us continue our vital work and make a lasting impact in the community.

Current Fundraising Needs!

We're currently raising funds to help with our graduate dogs’ medical needs and a new training room for our PALS classes (tables, air conditioner/heater, dog cots, 85” color tv, large white board, etc.). If you'd like to contribute, please donate below and specify where you want your funds to go to. Thank you!

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What our clients and volunteers say

“As a speech-language pathologist, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible impact of our facility dog Spanky on functional communication. Spanky's gentle presence has a remarkable way of fostering engagement and opening doors to communication for our clients. Their interaction with our furry team member has led to breakthroughs in speech and language development, creating an environment where communication flourishes effortlessly."

-Michelle C., facility dog recipient, volunteer and board member

Sponsors

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of our sponsors for their support. Without you, we would not be able to provide the benefits of our assistance and dogs to so many!

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David E. Smith Family Foundation

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