Son Care Foundation, New Life K9s and all of its programs value empathy, respect, service, and compassion
for all people. New Life K9s is aware that there may be times when staff, volunteers, and/or
clients need to file an official complaint about unjust treatment, harassment, and/or health and
safety concerns in the workplace. This grievance procedure policy was created to clearly outline
the process for these instances to ensure that all of our staff, volunteers, and clients are heard
and treated equally.
The purpose of this grievance procedure policy is to explain the scope and definition of grievances, outline the process for reporting and closing a grievance, define the program’s
confidentiality measures, and describe the disciplinary action steps for policy violations.
This policy is applicable to all New Life K9s employees, interns, volunteers, and clients. A
grievance can be filed against any New Life K9s or Son Care Foundation employee, including
senior management and shareholders.
New Life K9s defines the following terms:
● Staff as paid employees or interns responsible for carrying out the program mission who
are compensated either financially or with working hours to complete a certification.
● Volunteer as any person who has agreed to assist staff in furthering the mission of New
Life K9s without compensation, be it financial or otherwise.
● Client is defined as any person who has completed any portion of recipient applications,
be they for assistance dogs, warrior support dogs, facility dogs, best friend dogs, or any
other designation of placement.
● Grievance is a formal operational-related complaint, issue, and/or objection made by an
employee.
Before filing an official grievance complaint, New Life K9s asks that all staff, volunteers, and
clients review the policy that directly impacts their complaint. For example, if an individual files
an equal opportunity complaint, they must consult the company’s Equal Opportunity Policy.
New Life K9s encourages individuals to resolve minor disputes with the help of a supervisor. If
the informal complaint is not fairly and constructively resolved within 5 working days, the
individual may file a formal grievance.
Individuals may file grievances when:
● They have been victims of workplace harassment.
● Their health and safety have been compromised.
● They've witnessed poor supervisor/management behavior.
● Policy guidelines are violated.
● There is a dispute between co-workers, clients, and/or management.

New Life K9s also recognize that every case is different, and this list is not exhaustive and is
subject to change.
Filing a Grievance
It is the policy of New Life K9s/ Son Care Foundation that applicants/ clients/ graduates,
volunteers and the general public should have an opportunity to present their
complaints and to appeal management decisions through a dispute resolution
procedure. New Life K9s/ Son Care Foundation will attempt to promptly resolve all
disputes that are appropriate for handling under this policy.
● New Life K9s/ Son Care Foundation hopes that most concerns regarding
disputes/ complaints at New Life K9s/ Son Care foundation may be settled by the
people closest to the issue.
● This dispute resolution procedure has steps to follow, however, disputes may be
resolved at any step in the process. Disputes will be processed until the
complaint is satisfied, or does not appeal the decision made during any of the
steps of the dispute resolution process. A decision becomes binding on all
parties when a complainant does not appeal the decision or when a decision is
made in the final step and the right of appeal no longer exists.
● Complainants who feel they have an appropriate dispute should process as
following.
○ Step one: Promptly bring the complaint to the attention of the immediate
person in charge. If the dispute involves the most immediate person, then
the complainant may proceed directly to step two. The person in charge
should investigate the complaint, attempt to resolve it, and give a decision
to the complainant within a reasonable time. The person in charge should
prepare a written and dated summary of the dispute and proposed
resolution for the file. If the complainant and the person in charge are not
able to resolve the issue or if the complainant is dissatisfied with the
decision, the complainant may proceed to the next higher level of
management.
○ Step two: Promptly bring the complaint to the attention of the next level of
management, continued to the Executive Director/ CEO/ President, if the
complainant is dissatisfied with the decision. If the concern is not resolved
to the complainant’s satisfaction by the Executive Director/ CEO/
President, the complainant may submit a request for review in writing to
the President of the program’s board of directors. The President/
equivalent of the program's board will review the case and make a final
decision.
○ Step three: Should satisfactory resolution of a complaint not be reached
within the mechanism provided by the ADI Accredited Member or

Candidate Program, the ADI Executive Director will receive a written
complaint form from the complainant, and recommend to the ADI program
that they make every attempt to resolve the situation. ADI does not judge
the merits or attempts to resolve a complaint. ADI is concerned that the
ADI Accredited Member or Candidate Program meets ADI standards and
has a complaint policy and practices a procedure which offers the
complainant an avenue of appeal up the chain of command to the board of
directors of the program. ADI does not have the investigative expertise or
resources to mediate or resolve complaints.

● Information concerning a complainant should be confidential. Those who
investigate a complaint may discuss it only with those individuals who have a
“need to know” about it or who are to supply necessary background information
or advice.

New Life K9s Responsibilities
It is the responsibility of New Life K9s to:
● Accept and thoroughly investigate all claims.
● Ensure that the complaint is resolved within 30 days, depending on the severity of each
case.
● Treat all parties fairly throughout the process.
● Adhere to a no-retaliation policy when employees file a complaint against management.
● Organize mediation meetings between parties when appropriate.
● Practice a high level of confidentiality throughout the process.
● Accept and investigate all appeals.
● Ensure the final decision is implemented and adhered to.
● Maintain accurate and complete records of each grievance.
Policy Violations
If an employee is found to have violated the grievance procedure policy, they will be subject to
disciplinary action, up to and including termination. The severity of each case will determine the
type of disciplinary action, which may include a verbal or written warning, suspension, and/or
termination.
If an employee is unequivocally proven to have committed the grievance they are accused of,
New Life K9s will take disciplinary action to ensure the matter is resolved justly and according to
company guidelines.