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...

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. Every type of service dog is put through this test if they are being used in the public and the organization training the dog is ADI accredited. National Service Dogs...

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...

There are many types of assistance dogs being used worldwide. The determining factor in which type of service dog used is the disability the recipient has. There are three types of assistance dogs: guide dogs, hearing dogs, and service dogs. This last category is where National Service Dogs fits in, as you could probably tell from our name! Guide Dogs are used by individuals with visual impairments. They help their handler by avoiding...

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is an organization that sets the standard for member service dog organizations, their users, dogs and volunteers. It aims to improve awareness and education of both the general public and those intimately involved with the training and placing of service dogs worldwide. Accreditation by ADI ensures proper procedures are followed by everyone involved in the accredited organizations. Members of ADI meet...

August 5th to 11th, is International Assistance Dog Week (IADW) and is sponsored by Assistance Dogs International. Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is an organization that sets standards for member organizations on how they train and place their service dogs. The aim of this week is to improve the awareness of assistance dogs, honor puppy raisers, trainers and the dogs themselves. To celebrate, we will be discussing various topics related to...