Veterans With Dogs achieves accreditation by Assistance Dogs International
Veterans With Dogs, an assistance dog program dedicated to assisting British Armed Forces veterans with service-related mental health conditions, is pleased to announce that it achieved accreditation by Assistance Dogs International (ADI). ADI is the leading authority in the Assistance Dogs industry. It establishes and promotes standards of excellence in all areas of assistance dog acquisition, training and partnership.
Veterans With Dogs trains and provides assistance dogs for current and former members of the British Armed Forces with service-related mental health conditions using its unique PALS (Partner Animals Life Skills) training programme. The training is a combination of home support and residential courses, with annual assessments thereafter to maintain the fully accredited assistance dog status. The dogs that undergo this training are always ‘on shift’, providing the veteran with 24/7, 365 days of assistance. They not only change the lives of the veterans - in some cases, they save them too.
Commenting on the accreditation, Craig MacLellan, Chief Executive of Veterans With Dogs said:
“We are very pleased to have received accreditation by Assistance Dogs International (ADI). This represents a key milestone in the development and progression of our Charity.
“I would like to thank everyone for being part of this success, whether they are a trainer or behaviourist, mental health professional, advocate or safeguarder, puppy socialiser, fundraiser, supporter or trustee. Without these people, many of them volunteers, and the unsung members of family who support them in the background, we wouldn’t have been able to work towards ADI accreditation at this stage.
“While it’s good to take a moment to recognise and celebrate this achievement, our focus, as ever, is to continue working to improve the quality of life of our Veterans and their families.”
Once accredited, a program becomes a member of ADI. Member programs must complete a reaccreditation every 5 years to comply with ADI’s Standards of Practice. ADI accreditation is a peer-review process conducted by a trained ADI assessor over a period of 2-4 days. Currently there are 150 ADI accredited assistance dog programs in the world.
