Paws & Effect Pet Care and Dog Training

Paws & Effect offers a service dog program with twelve years of experience raising, training, and placing service dogs for veterans and children with disabilities. They provide pre-placement support through children’s dog handling classes and post-placement support through Dog Scouts and Volkssporting.

They also have a Pet Partners program that includes training courses, quarterly evaluations, and coordination of volunteer opportunities for therapy animal teams with local colleges, schools, performing art centers, and hospice care facilities.

Pricing Summary

Paws & Effect strives to place service dogs at little to no cost to recipients, benefiting from extensive fundraising, special events, and grant writing.

Paws & Effect Pet Care and Dog Training is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Eric and Nicole Shumate. They are dedicated to raising, training, and placing service dogs with children and veterans with disabilities, often at little to no cost to recipients through fundraising and grants.

The organization also takes pride in its affiliation with Pet Partners, supporting therapy animal teams through training courses, quarterly evaluations, and coordinating volunteer opportunities with local colleges, schools, and hospice facilities. They have twelve years of experience in raising, training, and placing service dogs, expanding to include increasingly complex disabilities.

Paws & Effect provides pre-placement support through children’s dog handling classes and post-placement support for recipients through Dog Scouts and Volkssporting. They are committed to sustaining healthy, long-term relationships in all aspects of their organization and believe every interaction is an opportunity to support successful placements and build community. They also engage in community events and relief efforts, such as Hurricane Helene Relief.

Accomplishments

Paws & Effect was founded in 2006 by Eric and Nicole Shumate. Nicole Shumate, the Executive Director and Founder, holds a JD and a BA in psychology. She is recognized as an esteemed community leader and a 40 Under 40 recipient.

The organization has received several awards and recognitions, including:
Silver Telly Council, 2015 Telly Award for PSA “Home”
American Humane Association Hero Dog Award winning charity partner 2010 & 2014
Organization of Character, 2013 Iowa Character Awards
Silver Telly Council, 2011 Telly Award for PSA series “We Serve With Honor”
American Advertising Federation District 9 Silver ADDY® Award, 2011
PRSA Prime Award, 2011
They also received a Humanities Iowa Grant in 2017 for their In Their Boots Film Festival.

How to Get Started!

For service dogs, the organization states, “We welcome your interest!” For classes, a registration link is provided.