Service and Veteran Dogs:
Saint Francis Service Dogs has a comprehensive screening process to ensure that a prospective handler is a good candidate for a Saint Francis Service Dog. Once Saint Francis receives a completed application, the applicant is contacted to set up an interview and home visit. The Saint Francis Screening Committee reviews all the information included in the application and gathered during the home visit and interview and makes a recommendation to the Saint Francis Board of Directors. The Saint Francis Board of Directors makes the final decision to accept or deny an applicant.
If you are approved for a service dog, your screener will contact you with the good news and you will receive a formal letter from Saint Francis. If you do not have a fence, you must now build one. You may install temporary fencing in order to meet this requirement if you intend to fence a larger area permanently. Once your fence is in place, you will be scheduled for orientation. You cannot be considered for a service dog until you have completed Orientation.
After you have completed orientation, you will be required to attend Candidate Classes. Candidate Class meets once every other month for an hour to an hour and a half. At Candidate Class, the Saint Francis trainers will begin to prepare you for life with a service dog. Please visit the Partner Education page for more information.
Facility Dogs:
Saint Francis Service Dogs will screen both the facility and the handler(s) to ensure that both the home and working environment are conducive to a Saint Francis Facility Dog. Once Saint Francis receives a completed application, the facility is contacted to set up an interview and site visit. Prospective handlers will also be interviewed and a home visit conducted. The Saint Francis Screening Committee reviews all the information included in the application and gathered during the home visit and interview and makes a recommendation to the Saint Francis Board of Directors. The Saint Francis Board of Directors makes the final decision to accept or deny an applicant.
If you are approved for a facility dog, your screener will contact you with the good news and you will receive a formal letter from Saint Francis. If a fence is required, you must now build one. You may install temporary fencing in order to meet this requirement if you intend to fence a larger area permanently. Once you have completed any preliminary requirements such as fencing, and completed Orientation, you can then be considered for a facility dog.
All Dogs:
Once all the requirements are fulfilled, Saint Francis will consider you for a Saint Francis dog. It is impossible to estimate how long this will take because placement is not first-come-first-served.
Saint Francis strives to match the right dog to the right person for the best match possible. In addition, there are many factors that impact the number of dogs in the Saint Francis training program at any given time.
It is important to remember that the time spent waiting for your dog is not wasted time, but an opportunity to prepare for your life with a Saint Francis Dog.
Saint Francis Service Dogs has a comprehensive screening process to ensure that a prospective handler is a good candidate for a Saint Francis Service Dog. Once Saint Francis receives a completed application, the applicant is contacted to set up an interview and home visit. The Saint Francis Screening Committee reviews all the information included in the application and gathered during the home visit and interview and makes a recommendation to the Saint Francis Board of Directors. The Saint Francis Board of Directors makes the final decision to accept or deny an applicant.
If you are approved for a service dog, your screener will contact you with the good news and you will receive a formal letter from Saint Francis. If you do not have a fence, you must now build one. You may install temporary fencing in order to meet this requirement if you intend to fence a larger area permanently. Once your fence is in place, you will be scheduled for orientation. You cannot be considered for a service dog until you have completed Orientation.
After you have completed orientation, you will be required to attend Candidate Classes. Candidate Class meets once every other month for an hour to an hour and a half. At Candidate Class, the Saint Francis trainers will begin to prepare you for life with a service dog. Please visit the Partner Education page for more information.
Facility Dogs:
Saint Francis Service Dogs will screen both the facility and the handler(s) to ensure that both the home and working environment are conducive to a Saint Francis Facility Dog. Once Saint Francis receives a completed application, the facility is contacted to set up an interview and site visit. Prospective handlers will also be interviewed and a home visit conducted. The Saint Francis Screening Committee reviews all the information included in the application and gathered during the home visit and interview and makes a recommendation to the Saint Francis Board of Directors. The Saint Francis Board of Directors makes the final decision to accept or deny an applicant.
If you are approved for a facility dog, your screener will contact you with the good news and you will receive a formal letter from Saint Francis. If a fence is required, you must now build one. You may install temporary fencing in order to meet this requirement if you intend to fence a larger area permanently. Once you have completed any preliminary requirements such as fencing, and completed Orientation, you can then be considered for a facility dog.
All Dogs:
Once all the requirements are fulfilled, Saint Francis will consider you for a Saint Francis dog. It is impossible to estimate how long this will take because placement is not first-come-first-served.
Saint Francis strives to match the right dog to the right person for the best match possible. In addition, there are many factors that impact the number of dogs in the Saint Francis training program at any given time.
It is important to remember that the time spent waiting for your dog is not wasted time, but an opportunity to prepare for your life with a Saint Francis Dog.
For questions or additional information about applying for a Saint Francis Service Dog
contact Cabell Youell at youell@saintfrancisdogs.org or call 540.342.DOGS (3647).
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What to Expect
Please Note: Currently Saint Francis Service Dogs is not accepting new applications for service
or facility dogs. If you are interesting in being notified when applications are being accepted
again, please fill out this Contact Information Form and submit it. Those interested in
applying will be notified of openings to apply in the order that Contact Information Forms were
received. Thank you!