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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