General FAQs
Support us in whatever way you can. Make a donation, join our volunteer community, or sign up to our newsletter to find out about more ways to get involved and keep up to date.
If you would prefer to donate by cheque, please make it payable to Dogs for Good and send to us at:
The Frances Hay Centre
Blacklocks Hill
Banbury
OX17 2BS
If you would prefer to make a donation over the telephone, please call 01295 252600.
Assistance dog FAQs
To enquire about our services please complete our enquiry form. A member of our support team will get in touch to learn more about your needs and how we can help.
To enquire about our services please complete our enquiry form. A member of our support team will get in touch to learn more about your needs and how we can help.
We believe that dogs are good for us and can support people in many different ways. We're especially experienced in supporting people living with complex health and social care needs, often due to disaibility, autism, dementia or mental health challenges. Fill out our enquiry form and a member of our support team will get in touch to learn more about your needs and how we can help.
Unfortunately, we’re not able to support individuals in training their own dogs to become assistance dogs.
For more information on finding an organisation that supports training your own assistance dog, we recommend visiting Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK), where you can find details of other accredited organisations that may be able to help.
If you are considering employing a local dog trainer to train your dog, please visit the website for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
Unfortunately, we’re not able to train pet dogs to become assistance dogs.
If you’d like support in building the best possible relationship with your pet dog, you can also find out more about our Family Dog services, designed to help you make the most of the connection between you and your dog.
Support Dogs and Dog Aid train people’s own pet dogs specifically for their individual needs, and as a recognised Assistance Dog organisation can then support the dog/client partnership. If you are looking for information about alternative assistance dog organisations, we recommend visiting Assistance Dogs UK (ADUK), where you can find details of other accredited organisations that may be able to help.
If you are considering employing a local dog trainer to train your dog, please visit the website for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.
We are only able to provide assistance dog jackets to dogs provided and trained by us. For infomation about assistance dogs and other providers visit Assistance Dogs UK.
We are not able to register pet dogs as assistance dogs. Assistance dogs trained by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) member organisations are considered, by definition, to be highly trained and fully supported for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010. There is currently no formal registration system for assistance dogs in the UK and we currently do not have an assessment process in place for dogs that have not been trained by us.
In Scotland, the majority of our work is in partnership with Alzheimer Scotland to support people living with dementia. However, we are branching out and exploring more ways to bring people and dogs together in Scotland. Our work in Scotland predominantly centres around Glasgow, Inverclyde and Forth Valley/Southern Perthshire. For more information about this or to talk to us about new ideas or ways to work together, please fill out our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch.
Sponsor a Puppy FAQs
If you have a postal sponsorship, you or your chosen gift recipient will receive:
- A welcome pack delivered in a presentation box, which can be sent to you or your chosen gift recipient. The pack includes a photo, a window sticker, and a soft toy dog*
- Regular updates packed with photos, stories, and special moments
- Printed photos of your puppy to treasure
*Please note this toy is not suitable for dogs
If you have a digital sponsorship, you or your chosen gift recipient will receive:
- A digital welcome pack
- Desktop and phone wallpapers to download
- An e-card from your puppy on your birthday (or your gift recipient’s birthday)
- Regular updates packed with photos, stories, and special moments sent by e-mail
Please allow up to two weeks to receive your pack. We will get it to you as quickly as we possibly can.
We can only send welcome packs and updates in the post to addresses in the United Kingdom. If you are sponsoring from overseas or your gift recipient lives overseas, please select a digital sponsorship.
If you wish to change the way you receive your updates or update your contact details, please email sponsorapuppy@dogsforgood.org. Please include your name and address in the email so we can update your record promptly.
We welcome regular donations to support all of Dogs for Good’s work. You can sign up to give a monthly donation here.
You can cancel your sponsorship by emailing sponsorapuppy@dogsforgood.org.
The puppy you sponsor could go on to support people in many different ways — from working with children and adults with disabilities or autism, to helping those living with dementia, or joining our Community Dog programme alongside a specialist handler to support people with a wide range of needs to reach their goals.
Some of our puppies have such great potential that they’re chosen to bring the next generation of Dogs for Good puppies into the world by joining our breeding programme.
While most of our puppies progress through training, some don’t quite make it all the way to qualification, and that’s perfectly okay. Every puppy is still destined for a wonderful future. When a dog is withdrawn from the programme, we consider what is best for the dog. Some are rehomed as much-loved family pets, while others may go on to thrive in different assistance dog roles through our wider network of charities.
Your sponsorship helps us care for and train puppies to become life-changing dogs. These dogs go on to support children and adults with disabilities, autism, or dementia - building confidence, independence, and brighter futures through the power of connection between people and dogs.
Family Dog programme FAQs
Our autism workshops are open to parents of autistic children aged between 3-16 years. This includes those currently awaiting diagnosis although a formal diagnosis is not required.
Our physical disability workshops are for people aged 18 or over who have a physical disability themselves or have a family member (aged 3 or over) who has a physical disability.
Our dementia workshops welcome unpaid family carers and people living with dementia.
The workshops are for UK residents, including those temporarily living abroad. They are suitable for all stages of dog ownership, whether you have an existing adult pet dog or a new dog or puppy as well as those without a dog but exploring the possibilities.
Our workshops cost £60 per ticket. This includes all pre-recorded content and resources on SharePoint as well as attendance at all three workshops either in-person or on Teams. Plus, access to our specialist long-term aftercare and support. Please contact us if you require financial assistance.
You can book the autism, physical disability or dementia workshops here.
If they are fully booked or you can’t find the dates to suit you, then you can register your interest here:
If you are joining our online workshops, the introductory one is around 45 minutes and the three main workshops are all 1.5 to 2 hours.
There are three in-person autism workshops. They are four hours, starting at 10.30am and finishing at 2.30pm. There is one in-person dementia workshop – this is two hours long with start and end times varying.
The autism in-person workshop takes place at our Dogs for Good centre in Banbury. The address is The Frances Hay Centre, Blacklocks Hill, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX17 2BS.
The dementia in-person workshops take place at various locations across Scotland including in Helensburgh and Kirkintilloch.
We aim to be as flexible as possible and appreciate that circumstances can change. If you need to move your booking to another group, or wish to postpone your attendance, please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate.
The £60 ticket fee is refundable upon cancellation up to 7 days before the first date of your original chosen group. Apart from exceptional circumstances, we are unable to offer refunds after this.
No, this is a separate service to the assistance dogs also offered by Dogs for Good. Our family-focused workshops are for the dog you already own or are considering getting. Our assistance dogs are also for adults and children with a physical disability and autistic children but are provided for you.
We do not supply dogs to families. We are an education and support service for families with, or thinking about introducing, a pet dog in the home.
You do not need a dog in order to attend. Our workshops are ideal for families at every stage of dog ownership, such as if you:
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are currently considering getting a dog and researching how they can support yourself or a family member with a physical disability, a relative affected by dementia or your autistic child.
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are preparing to bring a dog home and would like help ensuring they meet your needs.
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already have a pet dog and would like to understand how they can support your family.
Our optional workshop is specially designed to guide families in the decision-making process, including how to source a dog and what type of dog might suit their family.
These workshops are for adults (18 years plus) as the content may not be suitable for children. While the physical disability groups are designed to be a safe conversation space for adults only, the autism groups are for parents only. We therefore politely request that your children do not attend any of the workshops with you. This includes the online workshops as well as the in-person ones.
Ongoing support is available following the workshop. This includes email and telephone support, online resources, and a private Facebook group.
Full attendance of the workshops is required to gain access to the team’s aftercare, support, and learning resources. Access to resources and support without attendance is unfortunately not available to purchase.