How Can You Get A Service Dog?

Service Dogs Save Lives!

Once you have picked a program, the next step is an application. These
applications are usually quite detailed, and will require documentation of
your disability, usually in the form of a doctor's recommendation and
medical evaluation. The application will ask about lifestyle, activity level,
and may ask you to describe a typical day. Often, you will be asked for
several letters of recommendation from different people in your life; I had
to get one from my doctors, one from a teacher, and one from a friend. All
should attest to the character and responsibility of the applicant. You may
also be asked for a photograph so that the size of dog can be matched to
you, particularly if you are seeking a dog for balance assistance or other
physical tasks that put weight or strain on the dog.

Once the application has been completed, you will have a period of waiting
before you are approved or denied for the program. If you are approved,
then it may take anywhere from several months to a year or more to
partner you with your dog. Once your dog has been chosen for you, you will
typically travel to the program center and go through a period of training
ranging from a week to several weeks or perhaps even a month or two if
you are getting a guide dog. (This longer period for guide dogs is necessary
for the intensive training of both dog and handler, and assures their safety
once they are out on their own.)

Owner Training is also certainly a possibility. If you choose to do this,
PLEASE consider consulting with a professional trainer, as it is very
difficult to train a Service Dog completely on your own, and there are many
things that should be considered, including the suitability of the particular
animal for the job, as stress levels for working Service Dogs are extremely
high, and it takes a certain type of dog to even begin to handle service
work. As an idea of how few dogs are suitable, one of the programs reports
a less than five percent success rate with their candidate dogs, and this
isn't due to any training flaw. It is just simple fact that there are very few
dogs who are truly cut out to do service work. Many go through the
training only to be declared unsuitable, and adopted out as pets. Of course,
these dogs make great pets, as they've had a tremendous amount of
training, and are generally highly skilled even if they did not make it
through the complete program.