Assistance Dogs

CHAMP raises, trains, and places very special assistance dogs in the greater St. Louis, MO area. We start with great puppies, guide them with love and encouragement, and train basic and advanced skills using proven positive-based methods.

We want each of our dogs, whatever their job, to be happy, helpful, and appreciated.

We carefully select their future partners and provide the training and follow-up they’ll need to form an enduring partnership. Our dogs are well prepared for their future careers, whether helping a person with a disability live more independently or partnering with a professional in a medical facility, courthouse, or child advocacy center. Our dogs also provide their partners companionship, and a sense of well being.

CHAMP trains four categories of assistance dogs

CHAMP Public Access Service Dogs are partnered with adults and provide assistance in public settings as well as in the home.

CHAMP Home Service Dogs are partnered with either a child or an adult and provide assistance in a home environment.

CHAMP Home Companion Dogs can be partnered with a child, an adult, or a family. Their specialty is providing warm and loving companionship in a home environment.

CHAMP Facility Dogs are partnered with a therapist, counselor or trained facilitator who utilizes the dogs’ special skills in a professional setting.

Note - CHAMP does not train guide dogs, hearing dogs, seizure alert, or diabetic alert dogs.

See Assistance Dog FAQ’s for more information.

We love our dogs

The well-being of our dogs is always our first consideration. Our positive-based training program and careful matching of dog and partner ensures our dogs love their work.

CHAMP Assistance Dogs in training and at Work

Pastor Tim Ezell and his cameraman Cecil Corbett recently did a great story on CHAMP Assistance Dogs’ newest team, Steve and Public Access Service Dog Royal for a TV ministry program called The Thread. Royal was trained at WERDCC, so Tim and Cecil visited the prison in Vandalia to interview Royal’s primary and secondary trainers. Royal is the 74th Assistance Dog placed by CHAMP, and the 54th trained through the prison partnership program.