While we provide all of our dogs and services at no cost to recipients, it costs tens of thousands of dollars per dog to breed, raise, and train our guide and service dogs and then follow up with our alumni for the life of the team.

Southeastern Guide Dogs provides its dogs and training to students free of charge. The school will provide the dog, equipment, training, housing and most meals during your training. Southeastern Guide Dogs will offer your service dog high-quality food, monthly preventatives, vaccinations, and the annual veterinary wellness visit – free of charge. However, you must have the ability to financially cover your service dog’s other veterinary expenses and general expenses such as treats, toys, crate, dog bed, etc.

A service dog is trained to perform tasks—responding to cues with learned skills—to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. At Southeastern Guide Dogs, our service dogs learn 15 to 20 cues and skills to help veterans with PTSD and other disabilities.

A guide dog is a type of service dog that responds to cues and learns skills that help people with vision loss. At Southeastern Guide Dogs, our dogs learn over 40 cues and skills.

Guide dogs and service dogs enjoy public access rights as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

An emotional support dog is a companion dog that provides therapeutic comfort to an individual and is prescribed at the recommendation of a medical professional. Emotional support dogs don’t perform specific tasks and don’t enjoy the same public access rights as guide and service dogs.

Our service dogs restore independence, combat loneliness and anxiety, and bring light to the darkness of PTSD. They can interrupt nightmares and flashbacks, turn on a light in a darkened room, and indicate when someone approaches from behind. Their physical touch and presence create positive emotional responses. With unconditional love and loyalty, they become battle buddies for the veterans who need them and can help restore stability and wellbeing. With a dog by their side, veterans share powerful stories of renewed connections with loved ones and society once again.