Service Dog Program

This page contains most of the information on our Service Dog Program and the answers to questions many of our clients have. If you don't find the information you are looking for please give us a call at:

(480) 205-6810

Frequently Asked Questions about getting a Service Dog

• What kind of service dogs does your company train?
• Do you place service dogs with kids or just adults?
• Is there a waiting list? How long is the wait?
• How much does it cost for one of your service dogs?
• Do I get to meet the puppy raisers that raised my service dog?
• What happens if I have trouble with my service dog in a certain situation?
• Do I actually own my service dog, or does the company retain ownership?
• Do I have to keep up the training, or will the dog always remember?
• How long can my service dog work? What happens when my service dog cannot work anymore?

Answers

What kind of service dogs does your company train?

Arizona Goldens LLC trains highly skilled dogs to primarily to assist our clients that have mobility, vision, and hearing impairments. Our dogs have specialized skills to become wheelchair assistance dogs, hearing dogs, guide dogs, or therapy dogs.

All of our dogs are trained to over 90 different commands regardless of their final placement. This allows us the unique ability to cross train the dogs to help with clients that have several different disabilities. For example, if you are in a wheel hair and have difficulty in hearing, our service dogs can be trained to help with both disabilities. This differs from many other service dog organizations & companies that only serve as a hearing dog but cannot help you with tasks relating to being in a wheelchair.

Currently, we do not specialize in placing service dogs to adults or children that have autism or epilepsy.

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Do you place service dogs with kids or just adults?

Arizona Goldens LLC is one of the few companies and organizations in the United States that does place service dogs with both adults & children. We believe that it is in the best interest of the child, along with the rest of the family, to get a service dog as young as possible. Based on our research, many children respond better in their social, educational, and emotional development with a service dog than without a service dog.

In our child placements, we do necessitate an active parental involvement in both the boot camp process & after graduation depending on the disability and the child. Many of our client boot camps are organized so that they are with other younger kids, or on an individual basis.

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Is there a waiting list? How long is the wait?

There is a waiting list for Arizona Goldens LLC service dogs. Our waiting list is not exclusively on a first come-first serve basis, it depends on several factors relating to the successful partnering of one of the puppies in training and the needs of our clients.

The typical waiting list time is on average 12 to 24 months, depending on several factors. Some of the factors we evaluate in the placement process include:

Needs Analysis -	This analysis helps us understand the specific items, actions, and working characteristics that a client needs from one of our service dogs. For example, a client with a hearing disability needs the dog to alert them to a baby crying, phone ringing, or a knock at the door.
Lifestyle Analysis -	This analysis helps us understand the environment and lifestyle of our clients. For example, is the client physically active, or has trouble moving? Do they travel a lot, or do they always stay at home? This helps us make sure our placements are successful.
Personality Analysis -	This analysis helps us understand the personality traits of our clients so that we can match the dog's personality in a manner that has the highest probability of being compatible.

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How much does it cost for one of your service dogs?

Each of our service dogs are highly trained which takes a lot of time and money to raise and be able to place with our clients. We also run several medical tests such as PINhips, OFA testing of hips and elbows, eye tests, and many more to ensure that our clients get a healthy service dog.

The cost of our service dogs vary slightly depending on the type of placement, if the client needs an individual boot camp, or the amount of follow-care anticipated. Typically, the price for one of our dogs is between $14,000 & $17,000.

We do offer fundraising assistance by helping our clients find and apply to specific grants. We also have several fundraising templates to help our clients organize their own events to raise money through community fundraisers.

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Do I get to meet the puppy raisers that raised my service dog?

along with refreshments that allows our clients to meet the family that raised their new service dog and exchange contact information.

Once a year we invite both our puppy raisers and clients back for a formal graduation ceremony where the puppy raisers hand over the leashes to clients and the clients receive their permanent ownership of their service dog.

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What happens if I have trouble with my service dog in a certain situation?

We want a successful partnership between you and your service dog. We cannot train the dog to every possible situation that our clients may come into contact with such as to ride on a subway (since there are no subways in Arizona). Like humans, dogs are also not perfect all the time or are machines, they do make mistakes.

If you ever have any questions about your service dog, or if you ever encounter a situation that your service dog is uncomfortable with, do not hesitate to call immediately. Do not be afraid that we will take your service dog away from you. We will help you work through the situation so that you can fully enjoy your working relationship

If you are a local client, we will coordinate a time to meet with you to see exactly the situation the dog is reacting to and how they react, then work with you to correct the situation. If you live outside the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, we will initially work with you over the phone to give you some ideas on how to work through the issue. If the problem persists, one of our trainers will fly out to give you onsite help to work through the situation.

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Do I actually own my service dog, or does the company retain ownership?

During the first year after graduation, Arizona Goldens LLC retains full ownership of the dog. This is to reduce problems if the initial placement is not successful. At the end of the first year, one of the trainers will meet in person with you to make sure that the dogs is working well with you, the health and safety of the dog, the dogs training is kept up, and to make sure that you are happy with your service dog.

If the team passes the first year evaluation period, they are invited to the next Graduation ceremony where they will receive full ownership of their service dog. If the team does not pass their first year evaluation period, depending on the reason, we will either extend the evaluation for another year or not certify the placement and the client will have to return the service dog.

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Do I have to keep up the training, or will the dog always remember?

Yes, you do have to keep up your service dog's training up. Dogs, just like humans, will let their skills slide if they are not practiced. In addition, if the dogs training is not kept up then you will not receive the help you desired when applying for a service dog plus you will not receive a passing grade at the end of the year evaluation. During the boot camp process, our clients learn how to keep up the training of their new service dog with quick daily training exercises and by actually utilizing the dog in their daily lives.

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How long can my service dog work? What happens when my service dog cannot work anymore?

Most service dogs are placed at 18 months to 2 years of age and have a working life of approximately 10 years. Depending on the type of placement or the working environment, the working life can be slightly smaller or longer than 10 years.

When a service dog cannot work anymore due to health issues, the dog is retired from service and if the client chooses so, remains as a pet dog of the client or close family member. If the client cannot afford or physically care for the retired service dog, we have wonderful volunteer families that will care for the retired service dog.

We encourage our clients that have service dogs that have been working for a long time, contact us to be put on a replacement list. This allows us to coordinate the retirement of their current service dog and getting a new service dog.

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