Assistance dogs:
an unregulated frontier

We implement independent global standards to protect assistance dog teams and decision-makers.

Through ISO-style certification and Team ID, we safeguard legitimate teams from imitation.

The need for reliable standards

Globally, the number of assistance dog teams is growing fast. Yet, universal standards and safeguards are missing.
Largely improvised, the sector remains a modern frontier: full of promise and pioneering energy, yet dangerously unregulated.

Without independent certification to distinguish qualified teams from fake ones, unqualified “assistance dogs” and poor welfare erode public trust and access rights. Humans and their dogs often pay a high price for the lack of quality assurance.

We recognize the handler as a
competent, responsible leader,
who actively guide the team,

and the dog not as a
mere medical device,
but a sentient partner.

Building global trust

Independent certification

Our ISO-aligned, independent certification and Team ID create universal recognition using audit-grade technologies.

Verifiable Team ID

We are currently designing a global register for teams and service providers. This replaces improvision and confusion with transparency around qualification.

Meaningful support

Join us to help certified teams thrive and safeguard the dogs’ welfare. With your support, we can provide tangible as well as legal support, advocacy, and community.

What makes us different?

Independence from partisan interests is at our core and written into our nonprofit statutes.

At the same time, it is not our intention to police the sector. Rather, build lasting global foundations that recognize, support, and advance qualified assistance dog teams. By focusing on quality, excellence advances and imitation loses ground.

Our commitment is shaped and supported by over a decade of international standardization work, dialogue, and outreach. Read more.

We consider all stakeholders in our policies: handlers, professionals, the public, policymakers, funders — and especially the dog, who cannot speak for itself.

Attention, policymakers and funders:

ISO-aligned quality assurance and transparency reduce the risks for policymakers and funders, securing impact and safety.

We are inviting policymakers and funders from around the world to contribute their perspective to the design of our register and certification scheme.
Join us in building a sustainable infrastructure that secures the future of legitimate assistance dog teams worldwide.

Send me updates

A light-coloured Labradoodle with a yellow dog vest sits in front of a green and blue background. The job descriptions of an assistance dog are listed in the background.

nonprofit

independent

Assistance dogs: an unregulated frontier

The need for reliable standards

Building global trust

What makes us different?

Attention, policymakers and funders:

Assistance dogs:
an unregulated frontier