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Skilled Companion Dogs For Veterans
National Service Dogs’ Skilled Companion Dog for Veterans Program was...
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Companion Dogs
National Service Dogs recognizes the special bonds that develop between pet...
History
In 1996, National Service Dogs pioneered the program of breeding, training and placing Certified Service Dogs with children with autism. Over the last 16 years, NSD has graduated over 250 Certified Service Dog Teams, helped many service dog organizations around the world start their own Find out more
Donor & Sponsorship Opportunities
NSD receives no government funding and relies entirely on support from corporate sponsors, local community members, service clubs and annual fundraising events. We have a number of donor and sponsorship opportunities that are targeted towards the Find out more
Volunteer Opportunities
NSD would not exist without the hard work and dedication of our 400+ volunteers. In 2011, 561,000 hours of volunteer time were donated to NSD. This represents the same amount of hours worked by 270 full-time employees and a savings of over $5,000,000 for the organization.
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Upcoming & Recent Events
National Service Dogs’ Easter Egg Hunt for Dogs has been hosted in various cities across Ontario over the last 15 years. Getting its start in Oakville ON in 1998, the event quickly became NSD’s largest and most anticipated event.
Join us for a BBQ, children’s crafts, tours, Certified Service Dog and Skilled Companion Dog demonstrations, and our Annual Founder’s Volunteer Awards Ceremony.
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Latest From The Blog
Thank You NSD Volunteers!
National Service Dogs is a volunteer-driven organization. We’d like to take this day to thank the volunteers that help make our mission possible. In 2011, 561,000 hours of volunteer time were donated to NSD. This represents the same amount of hours worked by 270 full-time employees and a savings of over $5,000,000 for the organization. We have people helping us from the moment our puppies are born (and about 8 weeks before that) right until the point that they go home with their brand new families (and sometimes even beyond that!)
The Public Access Test
ADI states that for dogs to be certified for access to public places like shopping malls, movie theaters and public pools, they must pass a standardized test. This test is called the Public Access Test (PAT) and is administered by a staff member of the assistance dog organization.
Accessibility Laws
Canadian accessibility laws for assistance dogs and their handlers differ from province to province. A complete list of these laws can be found at www.nsd.on.ca/about/legislation.
Although the roles of assistance dogs have evolved quite a bit, the laws and people’s perceptions have been slow to follow. For instance, although National Service Dogs has been training and placing dogs for over 15 years, our Certified Service Dog Program is still seen as a new program by government standards and is not recognized in a lot of the legislation.
All assistance dogs placed by member organizations of Assistance Dogs International must pass a standardized test for public access, called the Public Access Test (PAT). By passing the PAT administered by a staff member of an accredited assistance dog organization, assistance dogs are granted access to public places like shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, and public pools – more about this in tomorrow’s blog post!
It is unlawful to discriminate against an individual accompanied by a certified assistance dog. Assistance dogs are always the exception to a “no pets” policy and are free to accompany their handler anywhere the public is customarily admitted.
Tomorrow we’ll be talking about the standards required for assistance dogs to gain and maintain public access. Come back and read us again!
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