Service Dogs
The benefits of a Service Dog are life changing. If you are interested in applying for one of our Service Dogs, click below to download the application.
Service Dogs are specifically trained to help mitigate a person’s physical disability. At this time, we offer:
- Mobility Assistance Dogs
- PTSD Service Dogs
We do not currently train guide dogs or alert dogs of any kind. Service Dogs can be trained to do a wide variety of tasks to help their handler, such as pulling a wheelchair, fetching dropped items, opening doors, turning on or off lights, fetching medication during a medical crisis, and providing tactile intervention to redirect a handler. Service Dogs are allowed by law to accompany their handler wherever the public is allowed, with very few exceptions.
Candidates for Service Dogs must submit all required portions of the application. If the applicant qualifies for a Service Dog through Mission Working Dogs, the next step is an interview with some of our staff. Owner-trained Service Dogs will be considered provided the owner’s veterinarian and our veterinarian agree that the dog is a valid candidate for training. Dogs must pass health checks, and temperament testing, undergo a minimum of 120 hours of training with us, and pass a skills assessment as well as a public access test to graduate from Mission Working Dogs and be considered a true Service Dog. Before graduating, candidates will also be required to fundraise $6,000 either on their own or by attending Mission Working Dogs fundraising events.