A Next Step Service Dog thrives and gives his or her all when a strong bond develops between the dog and his human partner. To earn the dog’s loyalty and respect, and to foster a healthy relationship, the client and the dog will need to work, play, and spend many hours training together.
If you choose to get a service dog, you must make the dog a major priority in your life. If you haven’t yet stabilized your injury, or if you are still in treatment that demands most of your time and energy, or if your work situation or home environment are in flux, this might not be the right time to consider applying for a NSSD service dog.
However, if you think that you are ready to make the commitment, you have the full support of everyone in your household and that of your caregivers, you are motivated to do the training, and you are excited about the prospect of gaining a devoted companion who can help you achieve greater independence and dramatically improve the quality of your life, you could be a candidate for our program.
Training and placement can be a 4-6 month process for placement with an NSSD service Dog In-Training. Owner-Trained dogs will be required to train for a minimum of 6 months.