Our Service Dog
Program
Hope & Healing
Operation Freedom Paws connects veterans, first responders, non-veterans, and children with carefully-matched service dogs, and trains them to function as a bonded team.
The Client Leads The Way
By committing to a 48-week service dog training program and taking an active role in the training of the dog they’ve been paired with, OFP clients improve and change their own lives. The truly unique impact of our program is rooted in each client’s desire to take an active role in their own healing.
Zero Costs to Clients. Ever.
It is fundamental to OFP that our programs are 100% free to our clients. Our nonprofit organization is run by staff who share our mission, many of whom were once clients themselves. Our collective goal is to remove financial barriers so each client can develop the skills needed to live their very best life possible.
How to Apply
The program to train your own service dog will follow a defined protocol and timeline. Here’s what you will do:
Apply
Fill out and submit the application form. You’ll also need to have a letter from a doctor recommending a service dog. **Please note that while we do our best to serve everyone in need, not all applications will be accepted into the program**
Meet With Us
In a one-on-one interview, we’ll discuss and assess your needs and the most important tasks for your service dog to perform, as well as determining the characteristics of a dog that you will find most important.
Match With a Dog
We’ll use our best judgment and intuition, but the dog and you really find each other. In rare cases, existing pets can be trained as service dogs.
Begin The Training Program
You and your dog will meet with us weekly for approximately 48 weeks (350 hours) for lessons, guidance, and exercises you will practice at home.
Become Certified
Once you’re certified as a service dog team, your dog will have all the rights and responsibilities defined for service dogs under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Camaraderie Builds Community
Operation Freedom Paws is about lifelong healing, and that means providing a safe landing for our clients and their families. From support groups to therapy and beyond, we’re dedicated to providing consistent, life-saving care and the kind of transformative community that only comes from shared experience.
“At OFP we celebrate every triumph, because we know how powerful a single step in the right direction can be.”