Paws With A Cause

Paws with a Cause, founded in 1979, was originally known as Ears for the Deaf. The organization trains assistance dogs nationally for people with disabilities, including people suffering from cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, epilepsy and varying degrees of hearing loss. It is also one of the largest providers of service dogs trained to deal with seizure disorders. Service dogs can perform tasks, such as opening doors, turning light switches or picking up objects, and can even be trained to provide support if the person falls. It also trains hearing dogs for individuals 18-years and above. Hearing dogs learn to alert individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as a smoke alarm, telephone ring, doorbell, and alert their partner to the sound of an intruder. Paws with a Cause is located in Wayland, Mich.