- Promote Integration and Activity: Having the responsibility of another being that is a consistent caring companion helps build ties to the future. The dogs are active and force the veteran to get out and exercise. The care of the dog also brings routine back into their life.
- Suppress Hyper Vigilance: Hyper vigilance creates constant tension and paranoia. Veterans often require more personal space than the average individual. The dogs are trained to create a physical barrier that keeps the public at a comfortable distance.
- Provide Reality Affirmation and Redirection: The dogs are trained to recognize the veteran’s anxious behaviour and physically redirect them to more positive activities i.e. petting the dog. In addition, for those experiencing nightmares or flashbacks, the dogs can provide vitally important reality affirmation with their persistent nudges and calm disposition. Often the fact that the dog is not reacting allows the veteran to feel safe in their environment.
NSD’s Skilled Companion Dogs are valued at $10,000 over their eight to ten year working life; however, each dog is provided free of charge to approved clients.
NSD receives no government funding and relies entirely on donations from the general public, corporate sponsors, fundraising events, and community supporters.
Clients are not obligated to fundraise, and fundraising efforts are in no way tied to when and if they receive their Skilled Companion Dog; however, many of them assist by asking for donations from friends and family or hosting their own fundraiser. NSD also has many third party fund raisers that host events in support of our working dog teams.
The actual direct cost of the Skilled Companion Dog to the client is an application fee of $25 and an equipment fee upon receiving the dog. All food and veterinary costs are born by the recipient once the dog has been placed with the veteran.
Currently, a veteran may wait up to 12 months from time of approval to receive a Skilled Companion Dog.
The timing of a Skilled Companion Dog placement is determined by chronological position on the waiting list and the availability of the right dog for the veteran’s needs and situation, and is in no way tied to fundraising efforts.
To help ensure the success of each team, we have designed an intensive application process to assist with the placement and matching of our dogs. Each applicant is screened to ensure they meet our application criteria. Upon confirmation of this, an application is sent to the applicant to be completed and submitted along with multiple reference letters from individuals involved in the veteran’s life. If successful, an in-home interview is conducted with a NSD dog to meet the veteran, learn more about their lifestyle, and discuss further questions and concerns. Final acceptance is determined following the in-home interview; applicants may be disqualified at any time during the application process.
National Service Dogs is currently accepting application requests from individuals within a two hour radius of our Cambridge training centre; some restrictions may apply.
Please contact Tamara at tamara@nsd.on.ca or 519-623-4188, ext. 18 to discuss receiving an application.
Please contact Tamara at
tamara@nsd.on.ca or 519-623-4188, ext. 18 for more information.
