Assistance Dogs for Military Personnel (ADMP) is a program created by Texas Hearing and Service Dogs (THSD) to train Hearing and Service Dogs specifically for U.S. servicemen and women injured in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars.
THSD, a non profit organization, has trained Hearing and Service Dogs for 20 years for Texans living with deafness or mobility challenges. Hearing and Service Dogs provide greater independence and life satisfaction.
Hearing Dogs alert their deaf partners by touch and lead them to a variety of important everyday sounds, including a phone, door knock, smoke alarm, an alarm clock and a baby's cry.
Service Dogs open and close doors and refrigerators, retrieve dropped items, push buttons, operate lights, fetch help and nudge paralyzed limbs into position. They also perform customized tasks such as tugging off clothing and bracing for transfers.
Balance Dogs, a type of Service Dog, assist individuals with balance while walking, standing and changing positions.
Military personnel whose injuries during their deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan resulted in a significant hearing loss (missing important sounds) or loss of mobility, e.g. spinal cord injury, leg amputation, etc.
Assistance Dogs for Military Personnel provides all Hearing and Service Dogs free of charge to qualified applicants. Donations underwrite the $17,500 cost of training. Applicants pay a $25 application fee. Once the Hearing or Service Dog moves in with the recipient, he or she is responsible for the dog's care and upkeep. The cost averages $600/year-the same as the cost of a pet dog.
Qualified applicants must commit to the responsibility of training with the Hearing or Service Dog.
The TRIAD Fund of the Dallas Foundation sponsored the first five Assistance Dogs for Military Personnel. Many more servicemen and women who suffered a traumatic loss of hearing or mobility during their deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan need Hearing and Service Dogs! Your donation helps fund the $17,500 cost of training so we can provide these dogs free of charge.
