There's no legal framework recognising assistance dogs
In countries where assistance dog programmes thrive, public access law is usually the starting point. A legally recognised assistance dog can accompany its handler into restaurants, hospitals, trains and offices. This legal clarity makes the entire system viable - handlers know their rights, institutions know what to expect, and trainers have a defined role to prepare dogs for.
India has no equivalent law. The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016) is a meaningful piece of legislation, but it does not mention assistance dogs. Without legal recognition, there's no framework to build a programme around, no standard to train toward, and no protection for handlers who need access.
There's no certifying body or training standard
In the UK, the US and Australia, assistance dog organisations are accredited against internationally recognised standards. These standards define training methods, public behaviour requirements and handler support. They give institutions and families a basis for trust.
India has no equivalent body. Anyone can call a dog an "assistance dog" with no training, no assessment and no accountability. This makes it very hard for families, hospitals or schools to know what they're dealing with, and makes it harder for credible programmes to be taken seriously.
The costs of imported models are out of reach
Most Indian families who've heard of assistance dogs have found only one route: sourcing a trained dog from abroad. The cost runs into several lakhs, before accounting for import logistics, quarantine and lifelong upkeep. This is simply inaccessible for the vast majority of Indian families who could benefit.
The training infrastructure doesn't exist locally
Training an assistance dog well requires experienced trainers, structured assessment, long-term follow-up and handler education. India's dog training sector, while growing, has almost no tradition of working dog training at this level. Most trainers focus on pet obedience. The specialist knowledge base for assistance work has simply not been built here yet.
Disability support is still seen as a family or charity matter
India's approach to disability support has historically centred on the family, with institutional or professional support as a secondary option. In this context, the idea of a trained dog as part of a disability support plan is genuinely unfamiliar to most families, doctors and institutions. Awareness is the first gap, infrastructure is the second.
Why this is starting to change
A few things are shifting. The RPWD Act has raised the general profile of disability rights in India. Urban families are more aware of therapy and assistance animals than they were even five years ago. And a growing number of organisations are beginning to ask whether India's own dogs, trained by Indian communities, could fill this gap in a way that actually fits Indian conditions.
It starts with training. But the larger aim is to help build the awareness, standards and trust that an Indian assistance dog ecosystem will need to be real.
What we are doing about it
HeartDogs is building the foundations of an assistance dog ecosystem suited to India. We train Indies - India's native landrace dogs - using force-free methods in real homes in rural Karnataka, with women in the community working as paid foster-trainers. The goal is a model that is locally rooted, credible and within reach of Indian families - not a copy of what exists elsewhere.
