Our vision: Every person and every dog can thrive 

At Paws for Progress, we’re creating a society where people and dogs enrich each other’s lives and everyone has the opportunity to thrive. 

We strive for an inclusive society that values differences, removes barriers, and ensures equal opportunities for learning, growth, and meaningful employment. 

We believe every young person deserves support to reach their potential, every dog deserves a life of care and compassion, and everyone can experience the joy of a positive relationship with animals. Together, we can create a kinder, more connected world for people and dogs alike. 

Unleashing Potential and Improving Lives

At Paws for Progress, we provide services centred on the mutually beneficial effects of people and dogs learning together.    

Our neurodiversity and trauma-informed services are designed to:    

• Improve mental health and wellbeing.  

• Foster positive relationships.   

• Inspire confidence and belief in abilities.  

• Support to achieve goals and build hope for the future.   

• Create a fun and safe learning experience where people and dogs thrive.  

• Promote better understanding of dogs and their individual needs.  

• Make a lasting difference for the broader community.     

We are led by our learners

At Paws for Progress, our direction and priorities are based on the voices and needs of young people experiencing barriers and challenges in their lives.  

The difference we make   

We help our participants move forwards positively in their lives. With a focus on building confidence, relationships and developing skills in preparation for further education and employment, our services – with the help of our hugely motivating and engaging Ambassadogs – unleash potential and improve lives.  

We empower our learners to move forward to a positive future. 

Our work often begins by improving their mental health and overall well-being, which serves as the foundation for growth. By fostering confidence, resilience, and the ability to build nurturing relationships, we support our learners in developing essential soft skills. These skills pave the way for further education, meaningful employment, and long-term success. 

Through our programmes, we unleash potential and improve lives, thanks to the help of our team of inspiring and engaging Ambassadogs. 

“It’s a really good learning tool, for teaching responsibility – not just in terms of how to manage dogs, but how to apply those skills and sense of responsibility to other areas –it’s transferable skills.”

“You have taught me how much a dog can change your life.You have changed mine.”

Expertise and Experience  

Paws for Progress is at the forefront of delivering inspiring dog-assisted services that transform lives in Scotland, focusing primarily on at-risk youth.  

As the revolutionary providers of the UK’s first prison-based rescue dog training programme since 2011, we are well-established international experts in this field.  

We have expanded to provide a suite of expertly tailored educational, therapeutic and interactive dog-assisted programmes. These are run by our specialist staff team with the help of carefully selected staff and volunteer dogs. 

Our unique, person centred and trauma informed approach celebrates neurodiversity. We empower young people facing challenges to build confidence, develop skills, and navigate life transitions with resilience and purpose. 

Meet our Team – the Paws Family 

We believe in investing in the support and development opportunities available to our team, ensuring we operate at the highest standard as an inclusive and adaptive employer. 

Our progressive policies reflect our commitment to the well-being of every team member, embracing and adapting to their unique needs. This enables them to thrive and focus on delivering life-changing impact for those we serve.We believe in investing in the support and development opportunities available to our team, to ensure we operate at the highest standard as an employer, with progressive policies reflecting our care for their wellbeing, and procedures which best enable them to focus on delivering life-changing impact.  

Our ethos for dogs – An evolution from positive to truly dog-centred 

We recognise the ethical considerations involved in provision of dog-assisted services, and the involvement of dogs as both educators and learners within Paws for Progress; it’s not just what we do – it’s how and why we do it.  

We are constantly reviewing our goals and considering their relevance to the emotional needs and wellbeing of each individual dog who we work with. 

 We strive to always continue raising standards further, both within Paws for Progress and in this sector more widely. 

Our values 

As an organisation the values we commit to are:   

• Putting the needs of people and dogs at the heart of all we do.   

• Demonstrating integrity, openness and respect for others.   

• Ensuring the highest standards in dog welfare.   

• Valuing and responding to the voice of those with lived experience.    

• Embracing differences and appreciating strengths.