Eligibility Requirements
- Applicant must be seeking partnership with a service dog for support with a physical or developmental disability or a facility dog serving people with physical or developmental disabilities or in a courtroom setting. We do not place emotional support, therapy, psychiatric, guide, or alert dogs.
- Applicant must reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or in the area within a 3 hour drive of our facility in Roanoke, Virginia at the time of application and final placement.
- Applicant must have a fenced in yard with minimum dimensions of 36’ x 12’ x 4’ or the ability to construct a fence of these dimensions. (This guideline does not necessarily apply to facility dog applicants.)
- Applicant’s home must be a safe, healthy and loving environment for a dog to live in.
- Applicant must demonstrate ability to provide for dog’s care monetarily, including feeding high quality dog food, providing for regular check-ups, purchase of flea and tick control, heartworm preventative, and any other medications, treatments or surgeries that may be needed.
- Applicant may not have a pet dog in the home, unless an exception is made due to age or sickness of the pet dog. This guideline does not apply to service dogs already in the home or facility dog applicants.
- Applicant must show ability and willingness to keep service dog under control at all times.
- Applicant must show ability and willingness to travel to Roanoke for screening, classes, interviews, 5-day training, and scheduled certification and recertification tests. Applicant must be able to pay for all travel expenses, including overnight stays during 5-day training (this includes in-town applicants).