Our Program
Dogs are trained as service dogs for combat veterans who suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). There is no cost to the veteran.
All dog lovers know how much the unconditional love of their dog means to them. This love and camaraderie are amplified with the service dog team. This unconditional love and respect have saved many veterans from taking their own lives.
The dogs being trained for this program come in all sizes and breeds. If the veteran already has a dog they are bonded with, we evaluate the dog's temperament and consider the team for the program. If the veteran does not have a dog, we work with them to locate a suitable match.
Our program is an owner-guided training program, which means our professional Saving Grace K9s trainers teach the veteran how to train their own service dog. We believe this way of training produces a much stronger bond between the team. The program consists of the team coming to train once a week for about an hour and a commitment of the team to train for 10 hours during that week, practicing what has been learned. Basic training, extensive public access training in real-world settings, and specific assistive training take approximately 6-8 months.
Some examples of specific assistive training (service dog tasks) are: putting distance between the handler and others when in public, reminding the veteran to take their medications, waking and comforting the veteran during nightmares, redirecting the veteran during an anxiety attack. Each dog is trained specifically for each person's needs.
If you are a combat Veteran who is honorably discharged and located within a reasonable driving distance from us, please complete our short application. We are proud to announce that over 250 veteran/dog teams have graduated from this program since December 2014.
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