FOSTERING

Adult Dog Fostering

Fostering can occur within a 150 mile radius of our facility.
This includes areas of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

This program is usually a short term foster arrangement lasting 1- 3 months. As our service dogs are nearing their placement dates, we look for homes that will foster them and prepare them for the day-to-day routine of living in the “real world”.  

The service dog will go to work or school with you each day. You will provide additional public access opportunities to prepare them for life away from our campus with their new service human.  

Adult dog foster families are also required to keep up the daily obedience training and practice specialized training scenarios.  Our foster dogs are fully trained, have passed Canine Good Citizenship, and have completed at least six months of specialized training. 

If you are interested in becoming an Adult Dog Fosterer, please read our Frequently Asked Questions below and complete the Foster Application below. If you need further information prior to submitting an application, or a paper copy of the application, please contact our Training Department at (701) 685-5005

Foster Application
Service Dog Puppy

Fostering FAQs

Once we receive your completed application, we will schedule an interview in your home. This interview gives you a chance to ask further questions about our foster care and training program and gives us the opportunity to meet you personally.

You must be able to pass the Volunteer Handler and Public Access Test before a dog can go into your care.

SDA offers “Volunteer Handler and Public Access” training. You will learn how a service dog should behave in public and the expectations of a handler in public. You will learn and practice with a service dog the basic 5 commands, motivation, and manner commands.

You will be taught about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the North Dakota and Minnesota statutes on service dogs.

You will participate in a specialized Public Access Test with a service dog. The training will conclude with a luncheon outing.

Once you have passed the training and Public Access Test, you will receive an ID that you must carry with you whenever you have the dog in public.

Dogs are placed in foster homes between 14 – 20 months of age.

We believe strongly that for successful client placements to occur, our dogs need to be comfortable with home life.

Depending on the dog’s transition, abilities, and public access exposure, they are usually with a foster family for 1-3 months.

We also offer weekend fostering.

SDA primarily uses Labs, Lab mixes and Golden Retrievers, as these breeds are smart, loyal and very patient.

Yes. Considering the investment of emotion, time, and energy in fostering a service dog, the entire family needs to be in favor of taking on this commitment.

All family members may participate in the training process; however, one family member will be designated as the primary handler.

We are in favor of foster homes having other pets, as this allows our service dogs to have exposure to other animals.

Your pet(s) must accept the service dog in your home.

If you have a pet that is dog-aggressive we will not be able to place a dog with you.  

If your pet(s) is not experienced around other dogs, or you aren’t sure how your other animals will react, we would be happy to set up an appointment with you for temperament testing.

Each dog in our program receives a “Service Dog in Training” vest which enables volunteer fosterers to expose the service dog to a variety of public environments and situations.

 The dog must always be vested in public, and the handler must always carry their ID card when they have the dog in public.

A volunteer or SDA staff member will take care of your foster dog while you are on vacation.

Yes, you will have the opportunity to meet the individual who receives the dog you foster.

Approved applicants complete three weeks of team training at our campus with their service dog, followed by a graduation ceremony.

 You will be invited to attend the graduation and celebrate the milestone of your foster dog and their human graduating as a service dog team.

  • Training vest with badge
  • Veterinary care and heart worm medication
  • Volunteer Foster training manual covering reference, grooming, medical and training topics
  • Public Access outings
  • Volunteer Fosterer starter kit
  • SDA approved dog food
  • Monthly conference call with the SDA manager and training staff
  • Access to SDA manager and training staff for support
  • Lots of love and snuggling
  • Lots of daily exercise – long walks and/or runs
  • Car rides
  • Bus rides
  • Walks in populated places
  • Walks in parks and forests
  • Visits to new and interesting places at least 1-2 times a week
  • Take the dog to meetings so he/she learns to wait quietly
  • Discourage barking, except during playtime
  • Absolutely NO feeding from the table – use the dog dish ONLY
  • Absolutely NO FEEDING OF HUMAN FOOD!
  • A fenced yard is preferred
  • SDA approved dog food (at cost)
  • Dog toys and treats
  • transportation to outings, vet visits and training classes
  • Bathing, grooming, trimming nails and brushing teeth
  • Submitting monthly progress reports provided by SDA

*These expenses may be tax deductible.

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