Together for assistance dog teams
Let’s establish reliable quality and support
Assistance Dog Teams deserve our help!
Assistance dog teams are breaking new ground and proactively designing their own solutions. Their partnership, discipline and care are fascinating – but unfortunately they are usually completely on their own.
Seven barriers currently block the way to a good assistance dog for people with disabilities the way to a good assistance dog. We can change that!
Join us so that…
the path to an assistance dog becomes easier,
quality replaces improvisation,
teams are better supported and
new teams are encouraged.
About assistance dogs
Assistance dogs live permanently with their humans and mitigate their disabilities through carefully learned assistance. They provide important assistance for their owners to live safer and more mobile lives. Assistance dog teams therefore have access whereever people in street clothes are welcome and deserve special promotion. Find out more in our digital exhibition. Besides the guide dog, which is financed by the health insurance, many other types of assistance dogs (videos) are almost unknown and have not been funded so far.
Assistance dogs live permanently with their humans and mitigate their disabilities through carefully learned assistance. They provide important assistance for their owners to live safer and more mobile lives. Assistance dog teams therefore have access everywhere where people in street clothes are welcome and deserve special promotion. You can find more information in our digital exhibition. Besides the guide dog, which is financed by the health insurance, many other types of assistance dogs (videos) are almost unknown and have not been funded so far.
How we build change:
✓Independent, objective evaluation: Our comprehensively documented evaluation answers the question, “How can I recognise an assistance dog team”?
✓ Showing impact: Testimonial research convinces high performers and thus improves the sector.
✓ Solid foundations: Standards, independent evaluation and scientific analysis improve acceptance and progress.
✓ The Goal: Comprehensive Funding: We establish partnerships and funding structures to better support teams.
Who is Assistance Dog Foundation?
Assistance Dog Foundation is a direct subsidiary of Pfotenpiloten and focuses on quality assurance and sustainable funding structures. The division of tasks became necessary in order to do justice to the many fields of activity needed to support the assistance dog sector.
We do not train teams ourselves, but aim to be able to support them in many ways in the near future. To this end, we are establishing various partnerships in addition to a team evaluation – but are taking strict care to remain independent of interest groups.
In addition to the assistance dog owners, we also keep an eye on the needs of the dog, the trainer, the public and the supporters – because only a concept that suits everyone can develop optimally.
Advisory Board
Get to know our honorary advisory board here. Representatives from politics, society, business, research, medicine and animal welfare join us in advocating for assistance dog teams.
How about you? Join in! Our newsletter (4 times a year) keeps you up to date:
Our Directors
On 06.08.2020, Assistance Dog Foundation was incorporated by the Board of Pfotenpiloten as a direct subsidiary of the association.
Roswitha Warda
Mehr Info
Als Gründerin und Geschäftsführerin arbeite ich seit 2015 mit Leidenschaft daran, Lösungen für Assistenzhundteams mitzugestalten. Sehr dankbar bin ich dabei für die vielen engagierten Menschen (und Hunde!), die ich seither kennenlernen durfte, und die vielfältige Unterstützung, die uns hilft, echte Fortschritte umzusetzen. Wie alles begann - die Entstehungsgeschichte der Pfotenpiloten.
Martin Reh
Mehr Info
Als 2. Vorsitzender unterstütze ich Pfotenpiloten gerne im Qualitätsmanagement und Aufbau zuverlässiger Strukturen. Die Prozesse, die langfristig zu Qualität führen, ähneln sich, egal, ob es um Produkte, Dienstleistungen, oder wie hier um Mensch-Hund-Partnerschaften geht. Ich bin seit vielen Jahren als Unternehmensberater im Qualitätsmanagement selbständig und freue mich, meine Qualifikationen auch für diesen wichtigen sozialen Zweck einsetzen zu können.
Christine Müller
Mehr Info
Als Gründungsmitglied und Unterstützerin der ersten Stunde freue ich mich, Pfotenpiloten im Vorstand begleiten zu können. Mein Herz schlägt für Sozialunternehmertum, und ich finde die Ansätze und Visionen, die Pfotenpiloten entwickelt, spannend. Ich bin zuversichtlich, dass hier auch in Zukunft noch viel für Assistenzhundteams bewirkt werden kann, damit die Hürden zum Leben mit Assistenzhund einmal kleiner werden.
Our supervisory board
As an initiative of the Pfotenpiloten, the Assistance Dog Foundation is also accompanied by our Supervisory Board.
Nils Hafa
Mehr Info
Ich habe das Projekt Pfotenpiloten in meiner Zeit als Standortleiter des Social Impact Labs Frankfurt kennengelernt. Es hat mir von Anfang an sehr gut gefallen, der Social Impact ist klar erkennbar mit einer sehr motivierten und strukturierten Gründerin. Sehr gerne unterstütze ich das Projekt in der weiteren Entwicklung. Aktuell bin ich bei GreenTec Capital als Senior Company Builder verantwortlich für die Akquisition und Beratung von innovativen, wirkungsorientierten Start-ups in Sub-Sahara-Afrika.
Susan Georgijewitsch
Mehr Info
Bereits in seiner Gründungsphase überzeugten mich Vision, Umsetzungsplanung und Leidenschaft der Gründerin von Pfotenpiloten. Und was bisher erreicht wurde, u.a. an Strukturbildung, ist beeindruckend. Gerne unterstütze ich mit meinen Erfahrungen aus langjähriger Tätigkeit im Consulting und im Fundraising für gemeinnützige Organisationen die weitere Entwicklung.
Farid Bidardel
Mehr Info
Mit Pfotenpiloten verbindet mich vor allem die engagierte Gründerin und der klare soziale Mehrwert. Als Mitbegründer und Vorstandsvorsitzender der CodeDoor.org und CEO von TensorParc bringe ich meine Erfahrungen in die Prozessstrukturen gerne mit ein. Zuvor verwaltete und entwickelte ich für die Social Impact gGmbH – zusammen mit JPMorgan, KfW, Generali & Deutsche Bank – nationale und internationale Programme für benachteiligte Unternehmer und social Entrepreneure. Durch meine Forschungs- und Lehrtätigkeiten mit den Schwerpunkten Bildung, Innovation und Unternehmertum bringe ich zusätzlich als Design Thinking Coach einen neuen Blick auf bestehende Entwicklungsprozesse.
Why we do not (yet) fund teams
Although it would be more satisfying to simply fund teams and
thus making people with disabilities more mobile *today*,
this would only help a tiny group. The real core
of the problem lies in the lack of structures and the
improvised nature of the sector.
improvised character of the sector.
In order to
provide systematic support for once in the future.
future, we will first focus on the basics. We
build understanding, develop independent structures, and
develop reliable ways of quality assurance. On these
foundations, effective care can be built that is fair to all
parties involved.
>
stakeholders.
Today, on the road to a reliable solution, there are still
seven barriers to successful living with assistance dogs in
Germany (and many other countries) more difficult. They all arise from a lack of fundamentals – improvised career paths, lack of information, lack of quality assurance.
A solution that is effective in the long term must take into account all stakeholders: In addition to the owners with assistance needs, the dog, the trainers and the public.
Once clear structures have replaced the current improvisation, support can be systematically built upon them – the path becomes easier and safer for everyone.
We still have a long way to go!
To build effective structures and solid foundations as an independent organisation, we need your help.
How we are different
Assistance Dog Foundation is a
non-profit for better foundations
advocacy. We form diverse
partnerships for this purpose.
partnerships – but always
strictly to remain independent of
interest groups.
from vested interests.
Our independence is central to
our work. That is why we form
ourselves.
not train teams, and we
never will.
never do.
Although, of course, the focus is on
focus, we also keep in mind the
needs of the dog, the trainer and the team.
needs of the dog, the trainer,
the public and the supporter.
public and supporters.
We are convinced that only one
concept will work.
concept that suits everyone
can develop optimally.
can develop optimally.
