Frequently asked questions

Anthem Service Dogs is a nonprofit with a mission to provide fully trained service dogs at no cost to qualifying applicants.

Service dogs typically complete training between 1.5-2 years old depending on the tasks needing trained. Due to the growing list of applicants and available service dogs it could take 2-5 years before receiving an Anthem service dog.

No we do not train current dogs as we are a provider of service dogs to applicants in our program. We also carefully select the dogs in our program based on temperament, breed, size, and health. If you are interested in training your own dog, please see our newly launched service dog training school tab.

We are not taking new applications at this time due to the length of our waitlist. For more information, click here.(javascript:void(0))

After you have been accepted, we will discuss the best breed for your needs. Though we can't always guarantee the breed, when the time comes to be paired, we will conduct a match meeting to find the right dog. Anthem carefully matches our dogs to clients based on size, temperament, drive, personality, and skill level.

This is a very important part of Anthem Service Dogs and what we represent. We always have education classes you will be able to attend as well as a required Anthem Orientation and "service dogs 101". When you have been paired with your dog, you are required to complete 100 hours of team training with your dog prior to graduation. This is one-on-one training between you and the dog and the dog's trainer to learn the dog's tasks, commands, and gain confidence in each other working together and learning each other's personalities and abilities.

Our dogs come from responsible breeders who focus on breeding puppies with good temperament and health.

Once you have been accepted and paired with a service dog. You will be required to attend an Anthem orientation. You will attend scheduled sessions with your assigned transfer trainer and dog to work towards completing 100 hours of team training. We will have a lot of extracurricular activities to attend as well that will benefit your dog. When the time has come for the team to graduate, you will pass a Public Access test before receiving your Anthem Service Dogs diploma. Every year you will return for a new Public Access evaluation and will always be invited to return for training, activities, or public events.

Less than 20% of service dogs in training meet the requirements and standards to graduate as a service dog. We put in as much effort into picking a dog as we do training. Some key factors that wouldn't make a dog suitable to become a service dog graduate would be: • Hearing or vision problems • Poor hip/joint development • Genetic malformations/illnesses • Physical injury • Size • Weight • Timidity/Reactivity • Too high drive • Too low drive

Emotional Support Animal: Emotional support animals are animals whose presence benefits a person with a mental illness. They may live in no-pet housing if the person's mental health provider writes a letter stating that the animal provides significant benefit to their owner. Because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA. They may not enter public spaces that do not allow pets, such as restaurants, grocery stores, etc. Therapy Dog: A therapy dog is a dog that might be trained to provide affection, comfort and love to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools, hospices, or disaster areas. They must be registered and insured by a therapy organization that sets standards of practice and ethics. They do not have public access unless invited in to visit by the business. Service Dog, Service Animal, Assistance Dog: Under the ADA, a service animal is defined as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability. This working dog has full public access except for permission needed to access private residences, churches, and some government buildings. Service dogs DO NOT have a registration or certification, DO NOT require proof of tasks, and DO NOT require a vest in public. However they DO need to adhere to public etiquette such as "4 on the floor" (no carrying, no basket or lap riding, no purse dogs), no eating on from or off any floors in ANY public space, no disruptions of public space, no aggression, and must ALWAYS be under control with a collar and leash.

No, we do not provide Emotional Support Animals.

We have career-changed multiple dogs that have become wonderful working Therapy Dogs at a place of business. If you are interested in a career-change Therapy Dog for or at your business please contact us for more details. We do not provide training for personal dogs to become Therapy Dogs.