Why choose a service dog from us?
When you need a buddy who’s got your back, our dogs are here for you. Your highly-skilled service dog will change your life, boost your confidence, and restore your freedom. You’ll get the healthiest, best-behaved dog with a top-notch pedigree and thousands of hours of training. And you don’t pay anything! We provide your dog, online and in-person training, lifetime alumni support, dog food, and preventative veterinary care at no cost.
Watch this video, then come join the Southeastern Guide Dogs family!
What makes our service dogs extraordinary?
We start with top pedigrees and dogs chosen for the best health and genetics. Our expert instructors spend thousands of hours teaching them advanced skills. We surround our dogs with love and positive reinforcement, and they give that love back to you!
Every service dog begins learning at just two days old, as gentle human hands teach them that people are their very best friends. Young pups explore the world and gain confidence and adaptability.
Before matching dogs with veterans, service dogs learn 15 – 20 advanced skills, each designed to assist you with symptoms and situations related to post-traumatic stress and light balance assistance. Next, it’s time for you to learn how your dog can restore your freedom, confidence, and hope.
Service dog vest on? These dogs love to work, and all their attention focuses on you. Vest off? You’ve got yourself a buddy and a best friend, ready for back scratches, belly rubs, and a gleeful run around the yard.
With a service dog by your side, you’ll discover a life worth living and a calmer, brighter, more hopeful world.
Alumni Support: We've Got You Covered!
At Southeastern Guide Dogs, we are pleased to offer you the most robust Alumni Support Program in North America. We offer lifetime follow-up for all guide and service dog graduates, including premium dog food and preventative veterinary care, at no cost.
Our Service Dog Programs
Service Dogs
Service dogs restore freedom to veterans. They offer help, healing, hope, and peace of mind to veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder and other disabilities.
Facility Therapy Dogs
Facility therapy dogs help veterans, patients, families, and healthcare workers recovering from pain and distress at military facilities nationwide.
Service Dog Training and Campus Life
We have designed our training course to provide you and your dog the highest opportunity to succeed together. Your dog has already trained for about two years, and now it’s your turn to learn.
Start with Online Learning
Veterans accepted into our program will begin training from the comfort of your home through our Online University. Here, you’ll gain an excellent foundation.
Your Campus Stay
For veterans training on our well-appointed campus, you and your dog will stay for 11 days in private, artfully furnished rooms. With chef-prepared meals and a welcoming atmosphere, you’ll feel like you’re on a working vacation! Learn more about campus life here.
Hands-on Instruction
With a low instructor-to-student ratio, your personalized, hands-on instruction will equip you to navigate with confidence.
If we do say so ourselves—you’re going to love it here. Our 99.9% student satisfaction speaks volumes! And there’s never any cost to you.
A Dog for Someone You Love
PSTD can challenge even the strongest relationships. Is your spouse or partner missing out on everyday life? Do you feel helpless as you watch the anxiety, depression, nightmares, panic attacks, and seclusion? With a service dog by their side, they’ll never be alone.
“I can’t tell you the difference this dog makes. She brings me out of a flashback faster than any human. I don’t know where I’d be without her right now.”
— Paul Utter with Service Dog Ellie | Ellenton, Florida
“I’m just thrilled I’m getting my life back.”
From birth to match day, it’s a two-year journey for our extraordinary service dogs to form a team with someone who needs them. But for veterans—alumni of our programs—the walk from darkness to freedom can’t be measured in time. Watch these personal stories of transformation to glimpse the impact these dogs can have. We’ve heard it many times: “My dog saved my life.”
