FAQS: FSD SERVICE DOGS

We train dogs for people with physical disabilities, first responders, veterans with PTSD or traumatic brain injury, and children (5 years and older) and adults on the autism spectrum or with other neurocognitive disabilities.

1. Complete the FSD service dog application.
2. Interview with FSD after you submit a completed application.
3. FSD determines your eligibility. If accepted, you enter a wait period of approximately 3 to 4 years, depending on your needs.
4. Travel to FSD to meet your dog (this is required no matter where you live) and determine your compatibility with the dog.
5. Return to FSD for a two-week placement class that teaches you how to work with your dog. On the third week, your trainer will work with you in your home and community, regardless of where you live.

Once we have interviewed and accepted you, the wait time is currently 3 – 4 years.

Our application is now exclusively online. If you do not have access to a computer, or if using a computer is challenging for you, we recommend working with a family member, friend, neighbor, caseworker, or medical provider to assist you in completing the application.

Unfortunately, no. Traveling to our facility to meet a dog and attending the two-week placement class at our facility are both requirements of our program. We are happy to discuss your options with you and recommend service dog agencies that may be closer to where you live.

FSD dogs are selected for temperament, health, and personality traits best suited for service dog work in order to meet the needs of the 90-plus clients on our waiting list who deserve the assistance that only a service dog can provide. FSD is in the process of implementing a small-scale breeding program and works with select breeders to obtain puppies and adult dogs. In addition, FSD receives service dog candidates from guide dog organizations that have career-change dogs, as well as organizations that donate purpose-bred puppies to nonprofits such as FSD.

We typically work with Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, standard poodles, and mixes of these breeds.

You can give us input on the type of dog you would prefer, but there is no way for us to guarantee you a specific breed of dog. If you are very particular about what type of dog you want, the wait time could increase dramatically.

No, you do not need to get rid of any pets you currently own. We will find a dog for you that fits the current makeup of your household. We do ask that you not add any new pets to your home after you have been accepted.

We do not charge a fee for our dogs, although there is a fee of $2,500 for professional therapy dogs. If you live out of state, all travel and lodging expenses will be your responsibility.

No, but you must be financially stable enough to provide for your dog’s needs. This includes daily needs like food and treats, as well as regular veterinary visits and emergency medical care.

Not necessarily. We consider each applicant’s criminal history on a case-by-case basis. If you have a history of animal abuse or violent behavior toward people, it may disqualify you, as that is a safety concern for both our dogs and our staff.

Yes, you are still welcome to apply; however, we ask that applicants with a history of drug or alcohol abuse show at least one year of sobriety before we will place them on the waiting list.

No, we cannot train dogs that are currently owned by individuals. It is a liability issue for the organization to have your personal dog at our facility for four to seven months.

No, we cannot accept dogs to train for specific individuals. Our selection process is extremely rigorous, and the likelihood of a dog you choose meeting our criteria is slim. Additionally, accepting a dog that is slated for you specifically would allow you to bypass the waiting list and receive a dog from us long before others who have been waiting for a dog.

We pair professional therapy dogs with mental health and/or crisis support provides, such as therapists, social workers, law enforcement, and more. Our dogs partner with these professionals to provide therapeutic support in places like residential treatment centers, schools, VA hospitals, and other settings. 

No, we do not train any type of medical alert dogs (such as for diabetic or seizure alert), dogs for the blind, or dogs for the deaf.

No. Technically under the Americans with Disabilities Act, emotional support dogs do not have public access, as they have not been trained specifically for three physical tasks to mitigate a disability.

No. The only mental health diagnosis we train for is veterans and first responders with PTSD. If depression or anxiety are a part of your physical disability, we will not disqualify you; however, if you have a significant or severe mental health disorder, it may disqualify you from getting a dog from us. 

At Freedom Service Dogs, we train dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD. Non-military civilians who are not first responders do not qualify for a PTSD assist service dog from FSD at this time.

Unfortunately, we cannot make an exception. Training dogs for other types of service requires a different set of training skills that we are not set up to provide.

Yes, but children must be a minimum age of 5 at the time of application. Applications for children under the age of 5 will not be accepted. 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: We have closed applications for our Disco’s Dogs autism-assist program from NEW APPLICANTS for the remainder of 2022 and will reassess the situation in 2023. Applications are currently closed to new autism-assist applicants while we work to serve the children who have been on our waiting list for a very long time. We are still accepting applications from successor clients. Based on our average wait time for service dogs, we anticipate that there will be a two- to four-year wait for an autism-assist dog once we re-open applications for this program. We apologize for any inconvenience, and if you would like to apply with another service dog organization, you can find members of Assistance Dogs International here: https://assistancedogsinternational.org/resources/member-search/.

In most cases, no. For safety reasons (both for the dog and the child), we cannot allow a child to be in control of a dog in a public place without a parent or guardian present.

No, we do not allow tethering. Although our dogs are extremely well trained, there are always circumstances where a dog can bolt (from fear or distraction), presenting a very unsafe situation for the child.

No. Getting a service dog is a long, arduous process filled with challenges. If someone is not 100% dedicated to the process, they will not make a successful client-dog team.

It costs us $30,000 to $50,000 to train and place a service dog.

All of our funding comes from donations. Most of this funding comes from private donations, and some comes from non-government grants.

At Freedom Service Dogs, we pride ourselves on providing outstanding customer service. However, if you feel we have not provided this level of service to you, we want to hear from you. Our policy provides the opportunity for applicants, waitlist clients, and active clients to have the opportunity to present their complaints and to appeal management decisions through a dispute-resolution procedure. FSD will promptly resolve all disputes that are within this policy.

To file a complaint or dispute, please document the issue and work directly with the Associate Director of Client Services to resolve the issue. If the complaint or dispute is with the Associate Director of Client Services, the complainant should work directly with the President & CEO. If the complaint or dispute is with the President & CEO, the complainant should work directly with the FSD Board Chair. The person in charge will investigate the complaint, attempt to resolve it, and give a decision to the complainant within a reasonable time including a written and dated summary of the dispute and proposed resolution. If the complainant and person in charge are unable to resolve the issue or if the complainant is dissatisfied with the decision, the complainant may proceed to the next higher level of management. If the complainant is not satisfied with the final FSD decision, the complainant may go to Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and complete its complaint form.