International Assistance Dog Week - [August]

International Assistance Dog Week (IADW) was created to recognize of all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability-related limitations.

Assistance dogs transform the lives of their human partners with debilitating physical and mental disabilities by serving as their companion, helper, aide, best friend and close member of their family.

International Assistance Dog Week recognizes and honors hardworking assistance dogs:

• To raise awareness and educate the public about how these specially trained animals are aiding so many people in our communities.
• To honour the puppy raisers and trainers of assistance dogs.
• Recognize heroic deeds performed by assistance dogs in our communities.
• The celebration takes place each year, starting on first Sunday of August

International Assistance Dog Week 

was established due to the efforts of Marcie Davis, a paraplegic for over 35 years and CEO of Davis Innovations, a consulting firm based in Santa Fe, NM. 

Davis is the author of Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook, a resource book that captures personal stories, checklists and practical tips to provide the reader with an A-Z guide about service dogs and she is the host of the Internet radio program, Working Like Dogs, at petliferadio.com. 

As a member of a service dog team, she founded Working Like Dogs to honor assistance dogs around the world and is sponsoring International Assistance Dog Week.

For more information about assistance dogs, please visit:

• Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is a coalition of not for profit organizations that train and place assistance dogs.

• International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) is a non-profit, cross-disability organization representing people partnered with guide, hearing and service dogs.

• Working Like Dogs (WLD) is a resource for people with working and service dogs, or who would just like to learn more about them.