APPLY FOR A SERVICE DOG
Please read through the following information to determine if applying for a service dog from Freedom Service Dogs is right for you. In order to start the service dog application, you must first complete the pre-application questionnaire below. Note: the waiting time to receive a service dog is currently 3 – 4 years.
Equal Opportunity Statement: Freedom Service Dogs does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or any other legally protected status.
**To ensure that our emails reach your inbox, please be sure to add the domain freedomservicedogs.org to your safe senders list, particularly if you have a Gmail account. Here are instructions to add FSD as a safe sender.**
Travel to Englewood, Colorado is required as part of the Freedom Service Dog training program.
A completed background check for all adults in the household 18 years of age and older is required in order for us to schedule an interview. Once you complete the application, each individual who needs to complete a background check will receive the link via email. A conviction will not necessarily prevent you from receiving a dog.
FSD will keep your entire application confidential. Your video/photo and written application will become the property of Freedom Service Dogs, Inc.
Freedom Service Dogs provides full public access service dogs for the following
- Individuals with mobility challenges from muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries and other issues
- Veterans, first responders, and active-duty military to mitigate service-related physical injuries, as well as post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury
- Children and teens between the ages of 5 and 18 on the autism spectrum or with other neurocognitive disabilities
We do not provide service dogs for the following
- Seizure detection
- Allergy detection
- Blood sugar detection
- Hearing impairment
- Vision impairment
- Emotional support
- Psychiatric support
The application process
To start the application process, clients must complete an online application and work with their primary care provider to submit a Medical History Form. It is the responsibility of the client to ensure that their primary care provider submits the Medical History Form. Please note that FSD will not contact medical providers to obtain this form.
Once the online application has been successfully submitted and FSD has received your completed Medical History Form, an interview can be scheduled. Interviews may take place over Zoom or at FSD’s facility. Upon the completion of one or more interviews you and all household members over the age of 18 will be required to complete a background check.
FSD reserves the right to decline applications at any stage in the process if we do not feel you are a fit for our program.
Is a Service Dog Right for You?
Based on the experience we have gained in FSD's history, as well as feedback from hundreds of FSD graduates, we believe it is critical that potential FSD clients understand that having a custom-trained service dog is a serious, long-term responsibility that is not appropriate for every person with a disability.
For this reason, we have established some basic prerequisites for individuals (or parents applying for their child) who may be interested in applying for an FSD service dog. Please review the following statements designed to help you determine whether or not you should apply for a Freedom Service Dog. If you agree to all of the following statements, please click on the “I Understand and Agree” button at the bottom of this section to continue.
We appreciate your honest consideration of, and response to, these statements so that FSD can focus our resources on those individuals who qualify for a service dog and are willing to commit to the long-term care and responsibility of having a service dog for many years to come.
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