Autism Dogs Charity Bewertungen 

Life-changing 🤍
From a more relaxed day-to-day life to a dramatic reduction of meltdowns and self-injury behaviors! Not only has the handler experienced benefits from having an assistance dog, but the whole family has too 🤍
Our hero doesn't wear a cape—he has four paws and a wet nose!

We enrolled our autistic son on the charity's Residential Assistance Dog Programme and paid the full fee of £14,990. We were matched with a dog and given a date to bring him home. Before that date, the charity withdrew the dog and the placement did not go ahead. We asked for our money back and were refused.

Since then:

We issued a claim in July 2026 to recover the fee, and they are defending that claim. The charity does not dispute that we paid in full, that the match was made, or that the dog was withdrawn before delivery. Its position is that no refund is contractually due.

We raised the matter with the Charity Commission. The Commission has, so far, declined to act, on the basis that a charity's contractual terms and fees are a matter for its trustees. If you are considering this programme, be aware that there is no regulator who will look at what happens to your money if the dog is not delivered. Your only route is the court, at your own cost.

Following a negative Google review that I posted on the charity's page, the charity's Chief Executive messaged several of its clients and supporters describing my review (amongst others) as "untrue" and asking them to leave five-star reviews "to dilute" them. I have reported this to Google. If you are reading reviews of this charity, bear that in mind.

I would urge any family considering this programme to look very carefully at the terms around matching, delivery and refunds before paying, and to take advice on what happens to your money if the charity does not provide the dog. I would also urge you to read the critical reviews alongside the five-star ones, and to ask the charity directly, in writing, what is refunded if the placement fails.

Update, 16 September 2026: the charity reported this review to Trustpilot as defamatory. Trustpilot assessed it, along with the evidence I provided them, and reinstated it the same day.

I'm grateful for my assistance dog Blu. He vastly improved my experience at university during a time of overwhelming change. It was a great comfort having him by my side and that comfort continues.

Thank you.

The dog training program at Autism Dogs Charity is top-tier. They train the dogs with so much patience, structure, and positive reinforcement, turning them into highly skilled, reliable, and happy service animals. It’s amazing to see how well-behaved and well-cared-for every dog is!

Autism Dogs charges £15,000 for their services. I understand there are costs to training but this means support is only available to middle/upper class individuals. Even applying for grants is not accessible to people in poverty - computer access, knowledge about fundraising, time to be able to fundraise etc.

I applied on behalf of my daughter, and they did not respond to her application at all (not even a mass rejection letter). They then opened their applications again within the same year and did not address our application. She was desperate as she is unable to leave home alone and wanted to gain some semblance of independence.

I have heard many second hand HORROR stories but I shall not repeat these as they are not my experiences. I’m glad some people are having good experiences too.

I can't thank Autism Dogs enough for their care, compassion and support. Throughout the entire process the team have been totally clear about processes, procedures and the future. In our biggest time of need during the bank holiday we had an immediate response offering support and advice which helped us immensely. The care the team shows for not only the handler, but for the family also, is fantastic. Our assistance dog has been lifechanging for my daughter and the family. This is all down to the amazing work of the Autism Dogs team. Thank you so much.

My Autistic child struggled to leave their room, let alone the house. The world can be a scary place. We were accepted on to the programme for an assistance dog and our whole lives have been transformed. Our Child goes out, meets friends and is attending college, all things that we thought would never happen before the dog came in to our lives. The dog is trained in a variety of skills ranging from being a steady companion while in shops to interrupting self harm.

The Autism Dogs team are all caring, understanding to the needs of the whole family, and have helped me with understanding Autism.

Thankyou

Amazing organisation, amazing staff and life changing dogs for their handlers. Always available for aftercare advice and assistance and annual checks on teams to ensure partnership is still delivering to its optimum level. Can’t recommend highly enough

Incredibly accesible.

autism dogs changed my life!!! they have been so kind and helpful through the whole process, even understanding when i had to leave a playdate with my dog a bit early because i was a bit overstimulated! and now, thanks to all their help, i can go out of the house and im back in school and will hopefully go to university one day! ive had my brilliant assistance dog for a year now and its crazy how much theyve helped! thank you so much autism dogs ❤️

I love ADC! They’re honestly amazing! The staff are so approachable and are always there to help whenever you need it. They work so hard to make themselves as accessible and accepting as possible to everyone. Through Autism Dogs Charity I have found a family who is there for me and understands what I’m going through. I’ve had my dog for over 2 years now and she has completely transformed my life! Without the support of Autism Dogs Charity and my fellow ADC handlers I wouldn’t still be here. I will be forever grateful to the staff and my AD for enabling me to access the world again and live my life the way I want. If anyone reading is considering getting an Autism AD I couldn’t recommend a better place to apply for! xxx

Autism Dogs Charity you are beyond amazing. Attention to detail and with great care and empathy in everything you do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for our beautiful AD dog, Hunter. He has been the most life changing wonderful addition to my son and our whole family for the last 6 years. We couldn’t have done it without knowing you guys were there supporting us, even now after all these years xxx

A fantastic charity, doing its very best to supplement incredibly lacking mental health support for ASD within the UK.
There are so many positives within Autism Dogs Charity. They are one of a kind within the assistance dogs community with their understanding of ASD and neurodivergence, provide an incredible community for those who are part of their programme and clearly care extraordinarily for their dogs, putting them first no matter what.

My assistance dog and the long and in depth process of meeting, bonding, training and then finally introducing them to my house was so fully supported and full of such wonderful, cherished memories. The team are comprised of a wonderful mix of people who were never not patient and kind and understanding, especially when I needed a few minutes break or got overwhelmed or couldn't deal with something. It helped what within the mix is other neurodivergent individuals, other assistant dog owners and other parents of autistic individuals who have assistant dogs.
When something wasn't perfectly communicated or I needed reassurance, the team were happy to explain things in the way I needed including sending photos.

I also appreciated how thoroughly dog care was taught to me. Both care of my dog as a dog and them as a working dog.
We had hands-on demonstrations and practice of absolutely everything from teeth brushing and ear cleaning to grooming and bathing. And then were explicitly shown all of the skills they had been taught as a working dog and how they were expected to perform those and maintain those. It was made clear the expectations of upkeep and how reasonable those expectations were.

I haven't had my assistance dog with me very long and it has been an overwhelming time but at no point has any part of the team lied to me and told me it would be anything but that. They are supporting me throughout the hard parts - and there are going to be hard parts because dogs are not perfect robots! And I am absolutely loving every day as things get better and I'm leaving the house daily after being completely agoraphobic for years and feeling really happy with my new best friend ❤️

I couldn't recommend more. It's a lot of money and hopefully one day the charity might get better funding so they can partway fund the family more and the handler/family has to pay less. But if there's any doubt, I would go for it and trust these people and trust the process. They have autistic people and dogs at the very heart of what they do.

The Reality Of Autism Dogs Charity!
I joined the Residential Programme in September 2024 with Autism Dogs Charity and I absolutely can’t fault it. The interview was daunting, but this was not in any way what you would expect it to be like - it was a very friendly, relaxed chat with two volunteers to see if the programme would be a suitable fit with my family. They were so welcoming and calmed my nerves down instantly - very professional in all ways.

Since enrolling, I have had nothing but clear communication and lots of support from the groups they offer where you can get advice and talk to other people with an assistance dog.

I say this with all the honesty in my heart - please do NOT believe the words from those who have commented negative things about this charity and their trainers. These people only have negative things to say because they were either unsuccessful in gaining a place on the programme (30,000 applications and only a handful of spaces!), or they did not follow through with the training of the dog after placement. You can’t expect a dog to respond to you like a robot, they are animals and need to be respected - do the training and they will listen to you! Simple!

Everyone at the Charity has been incredibly helpful and I urge everyone to look past the negative comments and see the reality. The cost of these amazing dogs is so incredibly worth it when you see the quality that goes in to their training and the level of care provided by these hard working volunteers.

I have dealt with Autism Dogs for over 5 years, after being turned down for an assistance dog for our son by every other autism dog charity due to us having 3 autistic sons in the house, Autism.Dogs took the time to understand our family dynamics and thoroughly assessed us, they then matched us with an amazing highly trained and intelligent Borador. Has it been a perfect experience? No, because we had to learn how to adapt to life with an assistance dog, it has been hard work, but the benefits have been truly remarkable. Like anything worthwhile in life you get out of it what you put in. But Autism Dogs have and continue to support us on this amazing journey. My son is able to express himself verbally far more, he is able to access so much more of the wider community since having his dog.
I cannot recommend this organisation enough, but be realistic in your expectations, you have to put the work in as well, although they are working Dogs, they will.sometimes bark, that's how Dogs communicate, they aren't always perfect because they are.dogs, not robots, mostly when we haven't quite got it right but if you can put in the work, wow what a difference they will make to the autistic handlers life and the family as a whole.

We applied in December of 2023 and got accepted and matched in July of 2024 with a lovely pointer cross called Margot! She's set to be delivered next month and I can't wait.

I have nothing bad to say about the charity, honestly. Their temperament testing and assesments with prospect dogs is extremely thorough, only the most suitable candidates get matched, and the success rate is extremely high with 80+ active and happy teams.

Their training methods are positive and it's obvious to see how well the dogs are looked after, welfare always comes first. And if for whatever reason, it does not work out, you can return the dog and get a refund, or remain on the waiting list, so there's no risk of being left with a dog isn't suitable for your family.

Margot already has hugely improved my life, as I look forward to every visit and playdate, and know that she'll provide so much help and independence after delivery.

Amazing charity that have changed our lives for the better. They are always available for support. They care for the animals well being as well as ensuring that they are trained with love and understanding.

We have had our dog nearly 5 years for our son and it's been life changing for him and our family. Thank you will never be enough for this amazing charity.

An amazing charity. We have had our lovely dog nearly 5 years now. When we started the Autism Dog application process our child was struggling to get into school for GCSE. Now With a degree in their back pocket they are now about to start a masters. We have had loads of support as a family. In addition to the highly trained dogs they employ and support Autistic people. A charity with an amazing heart and in huge demand. Wish they had enough capacity to help all who want it.

Be aware that this charity require all accepted applicants to sign a contract stating that they will not publish any negative comments on any social media platforms. In the event that the dog is unable to work for whatever reason, they only offer a £2,000 ‘good will’ refund regardless of the amount you paid for the dog, the current fee for a dog from this charity is £15,000. They will also expect the dog to be returned and request that you sign another contract with a clause preventing you sharing your experience. We had problems with our dog from day 1, including during delivery. Everything was excused as due to him still ‘settling in’. After a year of barking during public access and him still not behaving as you would expect a ‘highly trained’ dog to do, we said enough was enough. My husband ended up in hospital due to the stress caused by the support dog to our family. Autism Dogs then dropped us from the programme, no warning, blocked us from all member groups. They refused to replace our dog, and then refused a refund. They take no responsibility for the behaviour of the dog after delivery. They later went on to blame us for the dogs behaviour saying we had caused it. (We have 2 happy and healthy pet dogs). Be very careful of this ‘charity’. I know there are other unhappy clients of this organisation, but they are still ‘gagged’ by their contracts.

I wish I had read the reviews before I wasted my time and money on these nasty and inconsiderate people. They made me come up to an urgent interview near Stoke on 3 days notice. It cost me in time and money and meltdowns. 2 weeks later they sent me a generic refusal to supply a dog. Saying things like I may not have proved myself to be disabled - and such rubbish. When there is no register of disability in the UK ! They did tons of autism unfriendly stuff. Like calling our meeting an interview. And insisting it be in person at Ernest village hall in the middle of nowhere. Their contracts ban you from saying anything negative about them ever if they supply a dog. Basically a GAGGING ORDER on their autistic clients. How this place keeps operating is beyond me. How they can call themselves a charity and charge vulnerable autistic people 15k for a dog is a mystery to me. What scum bags. Run away. Don’t waste your time and money with these bandits. Yes they may employ some autistic people, but they treat autistic families and customers like CRAP! They have no understanding of Autism or kindness. I hope they crumble and fail. They sure deserve to. They are the UK version of Autism Speaks in the USA to my mind. STAY WELL CLEAR!!!! This company has no empathy or kindness of understanding. Are they just making money by taking a lot of money from families with an autistic person in them? Perhaps.