Service dog directory
Vetted service-dog programs and trainers
Search by where you are, what the dog needs to do, and who you are. Every listing shows cost, realistic wait time and how to reach them directly — no gatekeeping, no referral fee, no strings attached. If nothing here fits, send us one intake and we'll do the calling for you.
24 of 24 listings
K9s For Warriors
Vetted — accredited & verifiedPonte Vedra, FL · Placement program
Nationwide — travel to campus for team training
- PTSD / trauma
- Psychiatric service
Largest provider of PTSD service dogs to post-9/11 veterans. Most dogs are shelter rescues. Requires a diagnosis and a three-week on-campus training class.
- Cost
- No cost to the veteran, including travel and lodging
- Typical wait
- Roughly 6–12 months after application
- Serves
- Veterans & service members
America's VetDogs
Vetted — accredited & verifiedSmithtown, NY · Placement program
Nationwide, headquartered on Long Island
- PTSD / trauma
- Mobility & bracing
- Guide / low vision
- Hearing alert
- Seizure response
- Facility & program dogs
Serves veterans and active duty plus first responders. Also places facility dogs in VA hospitals and military medical centers. ADI accredited.
- Cost
- Free — fully funded by donors
- Typical wait
- 12–18 months typical
- Serves
- Veterans & service members · First responders & frontline
Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind
Vetted — accredited & verifiedSmithtown, NY · Placement program
United States and Canada
- Guide / low vision
Sister organization to America's VetDogs. Guide dogs for people who are blind or have low vision, with lifetime veterinary and follow-up support.
- Cost
- Free, including training and follow-up support
- Typical wait
- About 12 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities
Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Vetted — accredited & verifiedYorktown Heights, NY · Placement program
United States, home training available in NY
- Guide / low vision
- Seizure response
- Autism support
Guide dogs plus a specialized program for people with seizure disorders and a children's vision program. Residential and home-based training options.
- Cost
- Free — no cost to the handler
- Typical wait
- 6–12 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Children & families
Canine Companions
Vetted — accredited & verifiedSanta Rosa, CA · Placement program
Nationwide with a Northeast training center in Medford, NY
- Mobility & bracing
- Hearing alert
- Facility & program dogs
- Courthouse & advocacy
- Autism support
- PTSD / trauma
Places service dogs for adults and children with physical disabilities, hearing dogs, and facility dogs for courthouses, hospitals and treatment programs. Strong courthouse-dog track for kids testifying.
- Cost
- Free, including the dog, training and follow-up
- Typical wait
- 12–24 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Veterans & service members · Children & families · First responders & frontline
Freedom Service Dogs of America
Vetted — accredited & verifiedEnglewood, CO · Placement program
Nationwide, most placements in Colorado region
- Mobility & bracing
- PTSD / trauma
- Autism support
- Psychiatric service
Custom-trains rescued shelter dogs for veterans, children with autism, and people with mobility and psychiatric disabilities.
- Cost
- No cost to clients
- Typical wait
- 12–18 months
- Serves
- Veterans & service members · People with disabilities · Children & families
Paws of War
Vetted — accredited & verifiedNesconset, NY · Placement program
New York and Northeast, some national support
- PTSD / trauma
- Psychiatric service
- Owner-training support
- Companion / emotional support
Trains shelter dogs alongside their veteran handler — the veteran participates in the training. Also runs veterinary care assistance and mobile vet clinics.
- Cost
- Free to veterans and first responders
- Typical wait
- 3–9 months
- Serves
- Veterans & service members · First responders & frontline
Warrior Canine Connection
Vetted — accredited & verifiedBoyds, MD · Placement program
Nationwide, programs on military and VA campuses
- Mobility & bracing
- PTSD / trauma
- Psychiatric service
Mission-based trauma recovery: recovering service members help train service dogs for other veterans. ADI accredited.
- Cost
- No cost to veterans
- Typical wait
- Varies by cohort
- Serves
- Veterans & service members
NEADS World Class Service Dogs
Vetted — accredited & verifiedPrinceton, MA · Placement program
Northeast including New York
- Hearing alert
- Mobility & bracing
- Autism support
- Facility & program dogs
- Courthouse & advocacy
- PTSD / trauma
Hearing dogs, service dogs for physical disabilities, dogs for children with autism, and facility dogs placed with clinicians, courts and first-responder agencies.
- Cost
- Fundraising support provided; veterans placed at no cost
- Typical wait
- About 12–24 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Veterans & service members · Children & families · First responders & frontline
Dogs for Better Lives
Vetted — accredited & verifiedCentral Point, OR · Placement program
Nationwide placements
- Hearing alert
- Autism support
- Facility & program dogs
One of the longest-running hearing-dog programs in the country, plus autism assistance dogs and professional facility dogs for schools and clinics.
- Cost
- Free to the recipient
- Typical wait
- 12–18 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Children & families
Early Alert Canines
Vetted — accredited & verifiedConcord, CA · Placement program
Nationwide for qualifying applicants
- Diabetic alert
Specializes only in medical-alert dogs for insulin-dependent diabetes, including a youth program for kids with type 1.
- Cost
- No placement fee; handler covers travel
- Typical wait
- 9–18 months
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Children & families
WNY Service Dog Collaborative
Confirmed partnerBuffalo, NY · Network & referral
Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Orleans and Genesee counties
- Owner-training support
- PTSD / trauma
- Psychiatric service
- Companion / emotional support
- Facility & program dogs
Our own regional coordination arm. We pair local trainers with handlers, cover gear and vet care, and hold the paperwork. Start here if you are in Western New York and don't know where to begin.
- Cost
- Free coordination; training costs covered case by case
- Typical wait
- Intake within days, training start within weeks
- Serves
- Open to everyone · Veterans & service members · Recovery & mental health
Buffalo-area obedience & public-access trainers
Confirmed partnerBuffalo, NY · Trainer / school
Erie and Niagara counties, in-home and class-based
- Owner-training support
- Companion / emotional support
- Psychiatric service
Vetted local trainers for basic obedience, Canine Good Citizen prep and public-access work when you are owner-training your own dog. Ask us and we place the referral and pay the fee.
- Cost
- Class fees covered by us for referred handlers
- Typical wait
- 1–4 weeks to a class start
- Serves
- Open to everyone
Rochester & Finger Lakes assistance-dog referral
Outreach sentRochester, NY · Network & referral
Monroe, Ontario, Wayne and Livingston counties
- Hearing alert
- Mobility & bracing
- Companion / emotional support
- Owner-training support
Routing for handlers east of Buffalo. Partner confirmations in progress — we still take the intake and place you.
- Cost
- Free referral
- Typical wait
- Days to intake
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Open to everyone
Hero Dogs, Inc.
Vetted — accredited & verifiedBrookeville, MD · Placement program
Mid-Atlantic and Northeast
- Mobility & bracing
- PTSD / trauma
- Psychiatric service
Places service dogs with veterans and first responders, including police, fire and EMS handlers.
- Cost
- No cost, lifetime support included
- Typical wait
- 12–24 months
- Serves
- Veterans & service members · First responders & frontline
First Responder Therapy Dogs
Vetted — accredited & verifiedMill Valley, CA · Network & referral
Nationwide volunteer handler teams
- Crisis response teams
- Facility & program dogs
- Companion / emotional support
Brings certified therapy-dog teams into fire houses, police departments, dispatch centers and ERs for post-incident decompression.
- Cost
- Free to agencies
- Typical wait
- Scheduling-based, often weeks
- Serves
- First responders & frontline
HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response
Vetted — accredited & verifiedEugene, OR · Network & referral
Nationwide deployment teams
- Crisis response teams
- Courthouse & advocacy
Trained crisis-response teams deployed to disasters, mass-casualty scenes, schools and death notifications.
- Cost
- Free deployments
- Typical wait
- Deploys on request during incidents
- Serves
- Open to everyone · First responders & frontline
Courthouse Dogs Foundation
Vetted — accredited & verifiedBellevue, WA · Network & referral
Nationwide guidance for courts and CJCs
- Courthouse & advocacy
- Facility & program dogs
The reference point for putting a facility dog in a courtroom or child advocacy center. Use them when you're standing up a program, not looking for a personal dog.
- Cost
- Free consultation for court systems
- Typical wait
- Program build-out measured in months
- Serves
- Children & families · Open to everyone
Psychiatric Service Dog Partners
Vetted — accredited & verifiedCharlottesville, VA · Network & referral
Nationwide education and peer support
- Psychiatric service
- PTSD / trauma
- Owner-training support
Best owner-training resource in the country for psychiatric service dogs, including task lists, access rights and handler community.
- Cost
- Free resources; membership optional
- Typical wait
- Immediate access to resources
- Serves
- Recovery & mental health · People with disabilities · Veterans & service members
Assistance Dogs International (accreditation directory)
Vetted — accredited & verifiedSterling, MA · Network & referral
Worldwide accredited-member search
- Mobility & bracing
- Guide / low vision
- Hearing alert
- Autism support
- PTSD / trauma
- Facility & program dogs
The accreditation body. If a program is not ADI-accredited, ask why. Use their member search to sanity-check any program anyone sends you to.
- Cost
- Free directory
- Typical wait
- N/A — directory only
- Serves
- Open to everyone
ATLAS Assistance Dogs
Vetted — accredited & verifiedBoulder, CO · Trainer / school
Nationwide via certified partner trainers, remote-friendly
- Owner-training support
- Psychiatric service
- Mobility & bracing
- Autism support
Owner-training model — you keep and train your own dog with a certified trainer guiding task work and public-access testing. Fastest route when you already have the right dog.
- Cost
- Sliding scale; scholarships available
- Typical wait
- Enroll within weeks
- Serves
- People with disabilities · Veterans & service members · Recovery & mental health
4 Paws for Ability
Vetted — accredited & verifiedXenia, OH · Placement program
Nationwide, including children other programs decline
- Autism support
- Seizure response
- Diabetic alert
- Mobility & bracing
- PTSD / trauma
Places with children, including multi-task dogs for autism plus seizure or diabetic alert. Accepts applicants many programs turn away on age or diagnosis.
- Cost
- Fundraising commitment, roughly $17k raised with their help
- Typical wait
- 12–24 months
- Serves
- Children & families · People with disabilities · Veterans & service members
SPCA Serving Erie County — Paws for Love
Outreach sentTonawanda, NY · Network & referral
Erie County and surrounding towns
- Companion / emotional support
- Facility & program dogs
- Crisis response teams
Therapy-dog visitation into hospitals, treatment programs and schools locally, plus the adoption pipeline behind Dogs Out The Pound.
- Cost
- Free visits; adoption fees may be covered by us
- Typical wait
- Days to weeks for a visit
- Serves
- Open to everyone · Recovery & mental health
Niagara County SPCA
Outreach sentNiagara Falls, NY · Network & referral
Niagara County
- Companion / emotional support
- Facility & program dogs
Local adoption partner for companion matches in Niagara County. We cover fees, starter kit and the first vet visit.
- Cost
- Adoption fees covered for referred families
- Typical wait
- Same week
- Serves
- Open to everyone · Recovery & mental health
"Vetted" means accreditation and program details were verified before listing. "Outreach sent" means we route people there and have asked to partner, but they have not confirmed with us yet. Wait times and costs change — confirm directly, and tell us if a listing is wrong so we can fix it.
Don't want to make the calls yourself?
You shouldn't have to argue your own case to nine different programs. Send one intake and we handle the applications, the physician letters and the funding gaps.