Application FAQs
SDA accepts preliminary applications year round. The Review Committee screens preliminary applications in a timely manner. If the preliminary application meets SDA’s placement criteria, a letter will be sent out with an invitation to submit a full application.
Please note: Submitting a full application does not mean the applicant is automatically approved for a service dog.
When all parts of the full application have been received, the application is reviewed by an independent Medical Review Board (MRB) who meets approximately every 6-8 weeks. The MRB makes the final determination on whether applicants are approved or denied. Applicants are notified by mail within 30 days of the decision.
We serve the lower 48 United States.
We cannot place dogs outside of the U.S. or within unincorporated territories of the U.S.
Applicants must also be legal, permanent U.S. residents.
Our client minimum age requirement is 18 years old for for all types of service dogs.
There is no fee for the preliminary application.
There is a $50 non-refundable fee for the full application.
The fee for a service dog is $25,000, which includes:
- 3 weeks (minimum) of team training at the SDA campus*, including public access testing
- guest housing on the SDA campus during training
- all training materials, including initial vest, team certification and ID card**
- home visits
- additional task training, if required
- fundraising assistance and community awareness presentations (if requested)
- annual and bi-annual re-certification, training and team evaluations
- follow-up consultations and troubleshooting
- ongoing educational opportunities
- annual reviews for the life of the dog
*team training must be done at the SDA campus; we do not travel to clients or ship dogs
**vest, team certification and ID card are only issued upon graduation of the service dog team
SDA does not want the cost of a service dog to deter anyone from applying; therefore, we have a dedicated staff member who works with approved clients on funding options, such as fundraising programs, grant applications, payment plans and scholarships (when available).
None of these funding options, however, are implemented until after a client has gone through the full application process and been approved for a service dog.
No – we do not train dogs from outside our facility, nor do we offer training courses for people wanting to train their own dog.
No – we are only accredited to train the specific dogs listed on our website.
No – we are only accredited to train for PTSD.
We do not train service dogs for individuals with multiple complex mental health issues including personality disorders, somatoform disorders, etc.
We do not train service dogs for individuals who have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.
No, we do not train dogs for protection or any protection tasks.
We don’t automatically exclude applicants who have other pets. However, each situation is thoroughly assessed during the full application process.
We do not currently have a wait list for approved applicants to receive a service dog. Approval time varies due to application review and approval process.
The entire approval process can take approximately 3-12 months depending on how quickly we receive all required materials.
For anyone (veteran or civilian) who wants to be considered for a PTSD dog, you must:
- be at least 18 years of age
- have an official PTSD diagnosis
- not have multiple complex mental health diagnoses such as personality disorder, autism spectrum disorder, etc.
- have a minimum of one (1) year of recent mental health care pertaining to the PTSD diagnosis
If you are approved to submit a full application for a medical response dog, you must also complete and submit a 30 day seizure event log with your full application.
You must be able and willing to travel to our Jud, ND, campus for team training for a minimum of three (3) weeks.
We are currently unable to place service dogs with active duty military members.
If you have any questions regarding the application form(s) or process, please contact our Client Services Coordinator at (701) 685-5003 or client.services@servicedogsforamerica.org