1. What is the purpose of Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation?

     Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) community based corporation dedicated to increasing the independence of persons with disabilities through the use of service dogs.

2. What is a service dog?

     In contrast to leader dogs for the blind, service dogs are specially trained to help people with severe ambulatory and other physical disabilities. They may be trained to perform over 100 different tasks such as opening and closing doors, retrieving dropped objects, pulling wheelchairs, turning lights on or off, and obtaining food from the refrigerator.

3. How does a disabled person benefit from owning a service dog?

     In addition to over 100 physical tasks they may be trained to perform, service dogs give emotional support to their owners. A two-year psychological study showed improvement in general well-being, self-esteem, community integration and the amount of control owners had over their lives.

4. How does the community benefit from a service dog program?

     1996 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) demonstrated the utility and potential cost-effectiveness of service dog program. The study, entitled "The Value of Service Dogs for People with Severe Ambulatory Disabilities", showed that over the 8-10 year working life of a service dog, $60,000 - $80,000 per individual may be saved, with a 68% reduction in human-care hours. The study further stated that disabled participants demonstrated substantial increases in their school and work attendance. Besides work improvement, the program had a dramatic effect upon the daily living and leisure activities of people with disabilities.

5. What is the law regarding service dogs' access to public places?

     Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), all businesses that serve the public, such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxicabs, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities, are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals onto business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed. Additional charges for admitting the service dog to an establishment or fares for transportation cannot be required.

6. What is the success rate of matching service dogs with owners?

     Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation has an 87% success rate of service dogs with recipients matched. This high success rate is due to careful suitability screening of both dogs and owners.

7. What are the legal liabilities of owning a service dog?

     In all legal matters, the dog is the responsibility of the owner, and Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation will have no liability in any such matter. Should a legal concern arise, however, Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation should be notified and assist the owner if at all possible.

8. Can a dog be transferred from one owner to another?

     Unlike many similar organizations, Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation allows recipients to own their dogs. If for some reason the owner cannot keep the dog, Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation has first rights of ownership. If a recipient dies, the family may wish to keep the dog, and Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation normally grants them that right.

9. How does a person apply for a service dog?

     Applications should be submitted by qualified persons with disabilities to Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation. A qualified person is one whose disability substantially limits one or more major life activities. The candidate must be able to care for the service dog's physical and emotional needs. Potential owners and their families are interviewed and, if accepted, are placed on a waiting list. There are over 50 million persons with disabilities in the U.S., 10% of whom would benefit from a service dog. However, less than 800 dogs per year are placed with American owners.

10. What are the costs and fees associated with obtaining a service dog?

     The prospective owner pays a $25 non-refundable application fee, plus $200 at the time ownership is transferred.

11. What type of training do the puppies receive?

     With a puppy, training begins in the adoptive home of a volunteer puppy raiser, who provides a home for approximately 18 months. During this time, their temporary masters attend weekly training sessions on how to start these gifted animals on their service dog careers. In addition, the puppies are exposed to various environments such as shopping centers, schools and kennels to develop socialization skills.

12. How does one become a puppy raiser?

     After applying to Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation , applicants receive an in-home interview. Once approved, the puppy raiser must agree to care for a puppy for approximately one year. During that time they:

• Attend weekly training classes
• Conduct socialization outings in various public settings
• Report weekly by telephone to a staff person
• Keep a training log and file monthly reports with Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation

All veterinary care and food is supplied at no cost by Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation .

13. How are the adult dogs selected for the program?

     Adult dogs are selected between the ages of 9 and 18 months, at which time there is a 4-week evaluation period. A canine candidate is evaluated following a list of strict criteria:

• Friendliness to people
• Receptivity to training
• Even-tempered nature
• Energetic
• Good personality (tail wagger)
• Confident (loud noises don't startle)
• Physically well built, in excellent health with normal hip X-rays
• Not intimidating to the public-many breeds meet all the criteria, but suffer from a negative perception by the public

If the dog passes the evaluation period, they then enter a six to twelve month intensive training program, taught by professional trainers, on performing the tasks expected from them by their future permanent owners.

14. Which breeds are most adaptable to the service dog function?

      Currently over 50% of service dogs are golden retrievers, which have temperaments and abilities very suitable to the job. Labrador retrievers and Australian shepherds work well, but the most effective service dogs have been cross-bred goldens and labs.

15. What sort of training program is necessary to develop a service dog?

     In order for the dog to achieve certification, he must achieve four levels of proficiency, the fourth being with the recipient. He must be able to complete a minimum of four customized tasks such as opening doors, retrieving the telephone, turning lights on and off, or going for help.

Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation service dog must also be able to execute the following basic commands:

These must be in response to either hand or voice commands. In order to achieve certification by Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation, the dog and handler must perform these obedience commands and tasks in public areas such as malls, theaters, church, restaurants, pet stores, libraries and parks.

16. What is the cost of training a Saint Francis service dog?

     The cost to complete the course of intensive training with a Saint Francis trainer in the Roanoke Valley area is over $10,000. 

17. What are the traits which most frequently disqualify a dog from the program?

     Of the physical characteristics, hip dysplasia is the most frequent disqualifying condition. Response to training, personality, energy level and friendliness to people are also carefully evaluated.

18. What are the functions of the backpack?

     Dogs certified by Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation uniformly wear red vests in public so that they may are easily identified as working dogs. However, this is not legally required under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).

19. What educational role is performed in the community by Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation members?

     A busy schedule of Ability Awareness lecture programs are provided to both children and adults by volunteers from Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation. These presentations are effective in shaping the attitudes of the public toward people with disabilities. As many as 2,000 students may receive this educational service during a year. Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation takes special pride in the demonstrated effectiveness of Ability Awareness presentations in the Roanoke Valley.

20. Where may I inquire for more complete information on Saint Francis of Assisi Service Dog Foundation?

     Write or call us for more information.