Assistance Dog Club Agreement

Control The Meerkat Ltd

Welcome to the Assistance Dog Club: A Community Built on Support and Understanding

We are delighted to welcome you and your canine partner to the Assistance Dog Club, a dedicated and compassionate community designed to provide unwavering support throughout every stage of your partnership journey. Whether you are just beginning to explore the world of assistance dogs, in the midst of intensive training, or are an established, working partnership, this space is here for you.

Our primary mission is to cultivate an environment that fosters growth, learning, and genuine connection. We aim to create a space that is inherently:

• Safe: A space where you can share experiences, ask sensitive questions, and seek help without fear of judgment, criticism or ridicule. The safety and well-being of both our human and canine members are paramount.

• Supportive: We believe in the power of shared experience. Our community is built on mutual respect and encouragement, offering emotional and practical support through both the triumphs and the inevitable challenges of the assistance dog lifestyle.

• Non-Judgemental: Every team’s path is unique. We recognise the complexity of training, public access, and disability management. This is a place where honesty is valued, and personal circumstances are met with empathy and understanding, not scrutiny.

• Rooted in Welfare: The health, happiness, and ethical treatment of your assistance dog is the foundation of our ethos. All advice, resources, and discussions are anchored in the highest standards of positive, force-free training methods and a deep commitment to canine well-being.

• Dedicated to Understanding: We strive to be a hub for comprehensive, evidence-based knowledge. We encourage open discussion to deepen our collective understanding of assistance dog law, training principles, disability advocacy, and responsible public conduct.

This is more than just a club; it is a partnership of individuals committed to navigating the assistance dog world with integrity, compassion, and a shared goal of enhancing the independence and quality of life for all members.

The Purpose of This Space

The Assistance Dog Club is a dynamic, supportive, and educational community focused on offering support to assistance dog handlers throughout their journey. We provide guidance, resources, and a peer network to navigate challenges and celebrate successes.

Though not an accreditation body, we uphold the legal rights of legitimate assistance dog partnerships. For established partnerships that meet legal public access standards (e.g., under the UK’s Equality Act 2010), we offer supportive assessments and documentation. This documentation is specifically designed to help handlers assert and defend their existing public access rights lawfully and safely.

Our focus is on education, community, and the lawful assertion of rights for established, evidence-based partnerships.

A Shared Space

While there is professional guidance available, not everything within the club is directly supervised. Members may interact, practise, or meet informally. Participation is voluntary and at your own risk.The Assistance Dog Club offers professional guidance, but not all club interactions or activities are professionally supervised or overseen by a club official.

We encourage voluntary peer-to-peer interactions, informal practice, and social meetings to build community and reinforce training.

All participation, including the use of shared information and unsupervised activities, is undertaken at your own risk. Members are solely responsible for their safety, their dog’s conduct, and applying guidance responsibly. Individual responsibility is paramount within the club’s supportive framework.

Understanding Responsibility

As the assistance dog handler, you are solely responsible for your dog’s welfare, behaviour, and control in all situations and environments, including public access. Your handling judgments, including training and equipment choices, are entirely your own. We strongly advice against any aversive piece of equipment including shock, choke and prong collars, slip leads and any devices that work by tightening. You must constantly assess the environment for risks.

Handler Responsibilities and Dog Control

As the assistance dog handler, you bear full and sole responsibility for your dog’s welfare, behaviour, and control in all environments, including public spaces. All handling decisions, including training methods and equipment selection, are entirely your own.

You must continuously evaluate the surroundings for potential risks.

Equipment Warning

We strongly advise against the use of any aversive equipment, such as shock, choke, and prong collars, as well as slip leads and any devices that function by tightening.

Understanding Risk

Participation in the Assistance Dog Club involves inherent risks of working a dog in public, including potential injury to people or dogs, and property damage. Public environments can overwhelm dogs, leading to unpredictable behavior or mistakes. By participating, you accept all such risks and agree that the club and its affiliates are not liable for any consequences arising from your dog’s actions or your handling decisions. You must have appropriate 3rd party liability insurance.

Public Access & Suitability

The journey of an assistance dog is complex, and it is a fundamental truth that not all dogs are suited to assistance work, and suitability can change over time due to factors such as age, health, temperament shifts, or changes in the handler’s needs. This is a dynamic process that requires constant, honest assessment.

Crucially, the welfare and safety of the dog always take priority over the continuation of their working role or public access. This is an ethical commitment, meaning that if an assistance dog is showing signs of stress, injury, or distress, or if their behaviour poses a risk to themselves or the public, their working life must be re-evaluated.

We understand that these decisions can be emotionally challenging and complex. Therefore, we will support you in making these decisions with empathy and clear communication. Our commitment includes providing guidance on assessing your dog’s current capacity and mental state for the work required. Furthermore, we will guide you with options based on the information we have at the time. These options may include temporary breaks from work, reduced working hours, changes to the types of tasks performed, or, in some cases, early retirement planning. This guidance is informed by our professional expertise and the specific details you provide regarding your dog’s health, behaviour, and working environment.

It is vital to understand the lines of responsibility: You remain solely responsible for decisions around public access. While we offer guidance, the ultimate decision to place the Assistance Dog jacket or harness on your dog and enter a public space rests with you, the handler. This requires you to continuously apply your training and judgment to ensure your dog is fit, willing, and safe to perform their duties in a given environment, upholding all legal and ethical standards for public behaviour and control.

Assessments & Practice

All official assessments for certification must be formally arranged and directly supervised by authorized Control The Meerkat Ltd. personnel.

Requirements for Official Recognition:

1. Formal Arrangement: Assessments must be officially scheduled and documented via Control The Meerkat Ltd.’s channels.

2. Direct Supervision: An authorized Control The Meerkat Ltd. representative must be physically present and directly oversee the entire assessment to ensure integrity and adherence to protocols.

Unrecognized Activities:

Informal activities, including mock or peer-led assessments conducted without formal supervision (even if similar to official procedures), are strictly not recognized as valid official assessments. They are considered practice only.

Reviewing video or audio recordings does not constitute official supervision.

In summary, any evaluation seeking official status must have the explicit, direct, and physical supervision of Control The Meerkat Ltd. personnel, as formally arranged.

Safeguarding & Support

We are deeply committed to fostering a safe, supportive, and understanding environment for all members of the Assistance Dog Club. Our approach to safeguarding and support is rooted in two core principles: being trauma-informed and welfare-led.

Trauma-Informed Approach

We recognise that individuals may have experienced trauma and that these experiences can significantly influence their behaviour, engagement, and needs. Operating with a trauma-informed lens means:

• Understanding Before Judging: We strive to understand the context and root causes of behaviour rather than rushing to judgment or imposing punitive measures.

• Prioritising Safety and Trust: All our interactions and club activities are structured to maximise feelings of physical and psychological safety, predictability, and trustworthiness for both human handlers and their assistance dogs.

• Promoting Collaboration and Choice: We ensure that club members are actively involved in decisions about their training and support, empowering them with choice and control over their journey.

• Focus on Strengths and Resilience: We highlight and build upon the individual strengths and resilience of our members, supporting them in their recovery and growth.

Welfare-Led Philosophy

Our welfare-led philosophy ensures that the well-being and best interests of the human and canine partnership are always at the forefront of our decisions and practices. This includes:

• Focusing on Learning and Growth: Our aim is to create opportunities for positive learning, skill development, and successful partnership progression, treating any setbacks as opportunities for reflection and adaptation.

• Holistic Support: We consider the physical, emotional, and social well-being of both the handler and the dog, offering support that addresses the whole partnership’s needs.

• Clear Boundaries and Consistency: We maintain clear, fair, and consistent boundaries and standards of conduct, which contribute to a stable and predictable environment for everyone.

• Proactive and Reactive Support: We are proactive in identifying potential welfare concerns and prepared to offer timely, sensitive, and appropriate support or referrals when issues arise, always with the goal of maintaining safety and encouraging positive outcomes.

Safety in Practice

Adherence to these safety protocols is mandatory for all club activities to ensure the well-being of members, handlers, and assistance dogs.

Assistance Dog Interaction

Never approach, touch, or interact with an assistance dog without the handler’s express, verbal consent. These are working animals; unsolicited interaction (including calling, sudden movements, or offering food) can distract them and compromise safety. Always respect their working status and the handler’s right to maintain distance.

Handler Responsibilities

Handlers are fully responsible for their assistance dog’s behaviour and control at all times, including:

• Control: Ensuring the dog is under effective control (typically on a leash/harness), unless off-leash work is explicitly permitted in a secure area.

• Conflict Prevention: Actively managing the dog to prevent conflicts or nuisance with people or other dogs.

• Standards: Ensuring the dog meets assistance dog training standards and immediately addressing any behavioural concerns.

Personal Safety

Your personal safety and comfort are non-negotiable. It is always acceptable to step away, take a break, or remove yourself from any situation that feels unsafe, uncomfortable, or overwhelming. This includes:

• Feeling uneasy about a dog’s behaviour.

• Feeling pressured or unable to manage a situation.

• Needing personal space.

If you step away due to a safety concern involving another member or dog, please inform a club official or instructor as soon as practical so the situation can be addressed.

Boundaries & Decisions

The Assistance Dog Club prioritizes the well-being and safety of all participants (human and canine). The Club reserves the right to immediately pause, modify, or adjust any participation or activity to uphold this standard.

Nature of Decisions:

These decisions are protective measures, not punitive or disciplinary. They are designed to mitigate risks and ensure a safe, positive, and productive environment for all members.

Decisions to pause or adjust participation are based on factors including:

• Welfare Concerns: Suspicion of physical or emotional stress, injury, or undue pressure on the dog or handler.

• Safety Risks: Behaviour posing a risk to the safety of any participant or the public.

• Code of Conduct Violations: Serious or repeated failure to follow Club rules, protocols, or standards, especially those affecting public perception of assistance dogs.

• Health Status: When a dog or handler’s current health makes continued participation temporarily unsafe or inappropriate.

The Club will clearly and transparently communicate the reasons for any such decision, outlining concerns and the conditions required for a safe return to full participation.

Escalation

If a situation requires external involvement (e.g., law enforcement referral, legal action), the Assistance Dog Club’s internal dispute resolution or complaint processes may be temporarily suspended or ‘paused’.

This pause prevents the Club from interfering with the external investigation or legal process, respecting the external authority’s primacy. During this period, all routine internal communication regarding the specific issue will be significantly limited or restricted for all involved parties (complainant and subject). This is to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information that could compromise the external case.

The Club, advised by the external authority or legal counsel, reserves the right to determine the pause’s scope and duration. Internal processes will generally only recommence once the external escalation has formally concluded and the Club has determined the appropriate next steps based on the external findings.

Duty of Care: Scope and Limitations

Control The Meerkat Ltd’s Duty of Care and liability are strictly limited to services formally and explicitly delivered under its direct control and instruction (e.g., official training, certified assessments, scheduled workshops led by company staff, and services with a formal contract).

Exclusions from Responsibility

The company expressly disclaims all responsibility, liability, and Duty of Care for activities outside its formally delivered services, including:

1. Informal Activities: Unscheduled social gatherings or practice sessions outside the formal programme.

2. Peer-Led Initiatives: Activities, training, or support sessions organised entirely by members or volunteers without the direct, formal appointment, or presence of Control The Meerkat Ltd staff (e.g., member-to-member coaching).

3. Independently Organised Activities: External events, competitions, or third-party training, including related travel.

Participants assume full responsibility for their safety, their dog’s actions, and any liabilities during these independent, informal, or peer-led undertakings. Control The Meerkat Ltd’s Duty of Care does not extend to these activities.

Raising Concerns

The Assistance Dog Club is committed to a supportive and safe environment. If issues arise, or you have feedback, please contact us. To ensure prompt, effective handling, submit concerns via email to [email protected].

Subject Line: MUST include the word COMPLAINT for priority filtering and direction to the appropriate personnel.

In the email body, include:

1. Your Full Name

2. Date of Incident/Issue.

3. Detailed Description of the Concern: Clearly and factually describe the issue, including who, what, where, and why.

4. Desired Outcome: What resolution are you seeking?

All complaints are confidential. We aim to acknowledge receipt within 5 working days  and provide a substantive response within 10 business days.

Your feedback helps us improve the club and ensure member and dog welfare.

Agreement

By enrolling, you, the handler, accept and agree to all terms and conditions in this Assistance Dog Club Membership Agreement.

You acknowledge that Club activities (training, public access, meetings, events) involve inherent risks, including injury to people or dogs, property damage, and unpredictable animal behavior. You accept these risks and assume full responsibility for any resulting consequences.

You are solely responsible for:

1. Dog’s Conduct: Your assistance dog’s behavior, actions, and welfare at all times, ensuring proper restraint, supervision, and management.

2. Your Own Actions: Your personal conduct and compliance with all Club rules and instructions.

3. Compliance with Law: Ensuring your dog meets all legal requirements (certifications, vaccinations, public access rights).

4. Financial Liability: All financial liability for damage, injury, or loss caused by you or your dog to people, property, or animals.

By joining, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Club, its officers, trainers, and volunteers, against any and all liability for injury, damage, or loss, whether sustained by you personally or caused by your dog.

By Ticking the Terms and Conditions box below I have read and agree to abide by the aforementioned and understand that if I fail to keep to any part of this agreement, it will break the contract between myself and Meerkat Assistance Dog Club and will result in the termination of my membership with Meerkat Assistance Dog Club.