The Four Paws and a Wake Up Service Dog Application and Matching Process
Our Service Dog Program
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Service Dogs for Veterans who have a permanent service-connected disability for which Veterans Administration has documented related to mobility, service-related post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury
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Service Dogs for individuals with mobility disabilities (limited availability)
Please note that Four Paws and a Wake Up does not train seizure alert dogs, guide dogs for the blind, diabetes alert dogs, dogs for people with Alzheimer's, emotional support, or psychiatric dogs for non-Veterans. Four Paws and a Wake Up does not train dogs that are already owned by individuals. Contact Assistance Dogs International for information about other organizations who may be able to help.
Cost of Obtaining a Service Dog
Many people ask us about the cost of obtaining a Service Dog. Thanks to generous donors and funding from grants, there is no charge for clients who are eligible for our services for receiving a Service Dog. Clients will need to pay for annual dog supplies such as food and veterinary services that can average $1,000-$2,000 a year.
Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC
Canine Services
Mailing: PO Box 12544 Wilmington NC 28405
Tax ID 84-2287904
Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC is pleased to share we are an affiliate program of Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.). One of just a few programs in North Carolina.
What is R.E.A.D.?
Mission: The mission of the R.E.A.D. program is to improve the literacy skills of children through the assistance of registered therapy teams as literacy mentors.
About: The Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program improves children's reading and communication skills by employing a powerful method: reading to an animal. But not just any animal. R.E.A.D. companions are registered therapy animals who volunteer with their owner/handlers as a team, going to schools, libraries and many other settings as reading companions for children.
R.E.A.D. is the first and foremost program that utilizes therapy animals to help kids improve their reading and communication skills and also teaches them to love books and reading. It's been growing around the world since November of 1999 when ITA launched it here in Salt Lake City. More than 6,000 therapy teams have trained and registered with the program and are going strong!
Today, thousands of registered R.E.A.D. teams work throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico and 24 other European, Asian, Central American, and South American countries. R.E.A.D. is one of those ideas that, in the words of Bill Moyers, "pierces the mundane to arrive at the marvelous."
Benefits of R.E.A.D.
Four Paws and a Wake Up-NC Animal-Assisted Therapy Teams can continue their training by successfully completing the R.E.A.D. curriculum and become a certified R.E.A.D. By being a R.E.A.D. team we assure the schools and libraries we work with that our teams have had training specific to working with children struggling with reading.
Learn more about becoming a R.E.A.D. team
