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Keystone Human Services (KHS) is a non-profit organization that is a part of a global movement to provide support and expertise to people with disabilities.
Your journey with Susquehanna Service Dogs starts here. Whether you’re looking to get an assistance, facility, in-home service, or companion dog, or become a volunteer, you’ll find a way to connect.
Looking to volunteer? Click here!
Thank you for your interest in an assistance dog from Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD). Please note that due to our growing number of assistance dog applications, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close the assistance dog application process for most types of placements.
We are still accepting application requests for consideration for veteran placements.
If you are currently an SSD assistance or facility dog Partner in need of a successor dog, please contact Partner Services at [email protected] for additional information.
If you need an assistance dog with full public access, we, as an accredited member of Assistance Dogs International (ADI), encourage you to use the ADI Member Search to identify other accredited organizations that can meet your needs.
To begin the process of applying for an assistance, facility, in-home service, or companion dog, complete the application request form. Please allow 15 business days for us to review your request.
You will then be notified by email about the status of your request. If you meet the minimum eligibility requirements, you will receive a formal application along with additional details regarding the application process.
Our waiting list for an assistance dog or hearing dog is currently 3 to 4 years. Waiting time for a facility, in-home service, or companion dog may be shorter, depending on the number of applicants. We will work closely with you to find a dog that best matches your needs and lifestyle.
Please review our eligibility requirements before submitting an application request. Please note that we do not train or place dogs to do guide work for the blind; to do seizure or diabetic alert; to anticipate or detect medical symptoms; to primarily provide emotional comfort or social support; to provide supervision, navigation, or safety from environmental hazards; or to provide personal protection. Our program does not permit tethering an individual and dog to prevent elopement.
Please Note: All Application Request types will be considered through December 22, 2023. Beginning December 22, we have made the difficult decision to place a temporary hold on most types of Application Requests and will only consider veteran applicants, facility dog applicants, and children between the ages of 5 and 11 for companion dog placement. We will tentatively reopen additional requests for other placement types on July 1, 2024. Please check our website for updates.
To apply for an assistance dog through our program, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
Additional Requirement for Psychiatric Service Dogs
Applicants must be engaged in at least six months of therapy at the time of applying. SSD considers mental health and behavioral supports to be a vital part of the application process. Our service dogs are not a cure-all or a quick fix, but rather a tool. We have found that a dog is most beneficial for applicants when they have support from an experienced therapist on how to best use a service dog as a strategy to help support their mental health goals.
All applicants are considered regardless of race, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin. Children must be at least 11 years old at the time of application for an assistance or in-home service dog, and at least 5 years old for a companion dog. Parents/guardians must support having an assistance, in-home service, or companion dog for the child.
Assistance dogs and facility dogs: $5,000
In-home service dogs: $3,500
Companion dogs: $2,500
A limited number of partial need-based scholarships for assistance dogs are available for residents of Pennsylvania based on federal poverty guidelines and total taxable household income.
Mobility assistance dogs assist people who have a disability that interferes with their ability to walk, allowing them to more freely interact with their environment and other people. Mobility dogs include balance dogs and wheelchair assistance dogs. Specific tasks may include:
Autism service dogs are trained to assist a person with autism to improve their social interactions and relationships and expand their verbal and/or nonverbal communication. The dog can also intervene when their handler becomes over-stimulated, helping to alleviate stress. An autism dog can help a person deal with transitions from place to place or activity to activity, increase responsibility, and add consistency to each day. Examples of how a service dog may assist a person with autism include:
Please note: Susquehanna Service Dogs does not permit tethering of an individual to a dog to prevent elopement.
Psychiatric service dogs are trained to minimize the symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and other psychiatric disabilities. In addition to performing specific tasks, the dogs give the person something to focus on rather than negative or fearful thoughts. Susquehanna Service Dogs trains psychiatric services dogs for veterans and non-veterans.
Dogs may be trained to:
Seizure response dogs respond to their partner during and after a seizure. They may provide some intervention to prevent injury during the seizure, get help within the home, or remain with their partner to assist them in recovering from the event. We do not train dogs to alert to oncoming seizures.
Dogs may be trained to:
With the assistance of hearing dogs, people who are deaf or hard of hearing do not need to rely solely on visual signals. Hearing dogs alert to specific sounds by touching the person with their nose and taking them to the source of the sound, with the exception of the smoke alarm. To alert to a smoke alarm, the dog touches the person with their nose and lies down.
Sounds may include, but aren’t limited to:
Facility dogs work with professionals in a variety of settings, such as courthouses, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, mental health facilities, and oncology clinics. They are trained specific skills to motivate and inspire, improve social behavior, encourage communication, and help people feel more comfortable and positive.
Facility dogs may be trained to:
Please note, the fee for service includes two handlers. Additional handler fees apply.
Request an Application for a Facility Dog
In-home service dogs provide assistance and perform tasks but do not have public access. These dogs are beneficial to children and adults who need a specially trained dog in their home but do not need their assistance in public settings.
In-home service dogs may be trained to
Companion dogs are specially trained dogs that provide comfort, companionship and motivation within the home for one or more family members. Companion dogs do not have public access and must follow local dog laws and access rules for housing and public accommodations.
Families must live within two hours of Grantville, PA.
Our volunteers make it possible for us to breed, raise, train, and place life-changing assistance dogs. We currently have over 400 volunteers who collectively give over 40,000 hours each month to our program. Whether they’re raising puppies or painting a fence, volunteers are making a difference and helping to change lives.
Make a difference and change lives by raising a puppy! Puppy raisers welcome a 9-week-old puppy into their home to socialize and train for 15-18 months. No experience is necessary. We will teach you everything you need to know about raising an assistance dog.
We ask that you live within an hour’s drive of Grantville, PA; Malvern, PA; or State College, PA.
Raiser Responsibilities
Susquehanna Service Dogs covers all veterinary costs and provides monthly heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives.
Application Process
Our Campus Puppy Raising Programs give college students a unique opportunity to raise assistance dogs and change the lives of others. Both students and dogs benefit. Students enhance their time management and leadership skills, while dogs in training become well-socialized and enriched by their surroundings.
Students raise a puppy for 15-18 months. They attend puppy classes, teach the puppies good house manners and basic skills and cues, and take the dogs on outings to new and interesting places.
We will work with students and college administrators to develop puppy raising programs that best fit students and the structure of the college. For more information about starting a program on your campus, email [email protected].
Current Campus Puppy Raising Programs
Raiser Responsibilities
Susquehanna Service Dogs covers all veterinary costs and provides monthly heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives.
Application Process
Puppy sitting is a great way to get involved with our assistance dogs in training without the full-time commitment of raising a puppy. You choose when you sit to fit with your schedule!
Sitters play an important role in our dogs’ training. By watching one of our dogs for a short amount of time, you’ll give the dog valuable experiences in a new home and routine, which help make the dog’s transition to advanced training and their partners much smoother.
At-Home Sitters
At-home sitters care for a dog in their home, helping the dog practice good house manners and learn a new routine. At-home sitters are not permitted to take dogs to public locations.
Full Access Sitters
In addition to helping our dogs practice good house manners and learn a new routine, full access sitters may take the dogs in public to continue practicing their skills in new places. Additional training is required after minimum requirements are fulfilled as an At-Home Sitter.
Application Process
Once you’ve completed all the requirements and are approved, you will be added to our email list. Whenever we have dogs in need of sitters, you will receive an email, and you can choose the sitting opportunities that work for you.
*Please note, the Canine Enrichment Program is set to reopen in spring 2024. While you can attend an orientation, the required Canine Enrichment class will not be available until spring.
Our Canine Enrichment Program ensures the adult dogs in our Advanced Training program experience mental, physical, and social stimulation in addition to their daily time working with a trainer.
This program includes group dog play, decompression time with volunteers, and a variety of activities to activate various parts of their brains. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who are seeking hands-on work with adult dogs but aren’t able to be a raiser or sit a dog in their home. Additional training is required for this volunteer position.
Application Process
Please check back in spring 2024 to apply.
*The Puppy Building Blocks program is scheduled to reopen to new volunteers in summer 2024. Please check back in late spring to apply.
The time before puppies join their raisers is vital to their development. You can be part of jumpstarting their training by assisting with specific activities to help boost their confidence and start their journey to assisting someone with a disability. Building Blocks occurs Monday through Friday the week of our Puppy Handout, when puppies go home with their volunteer puppy raisers.
Volunteers follow an enrichment curriculum that includes completing tasks with our 8- or 9-week-old puppies to provide enrichment and a good start to their assistance dog training. Under the supervision of an experienced volunteer or staff member, you will guide the puppies through activities such as loose leash walking, outdoor playtime, body handling, crate time, bath time, and other fun activities.
Of course, you will still be able to take some time to snuggle with the puppies.
Application Process
Please check back in late spring 2024 to apply.
SSD has many more ways for you to get involved. Some involve working with our dogs, while others don’t. Every opportunity plays an important role in moving our mission forward. Some examples of opportunities include weeding flower gardens, vacuuming and washing dog transport vehicles, power washing, and more.
We are also always looking for volunteers interested in organizing a wish list donation drive.
Complete the online application, sign up for an orientation class, and learn more about how you can support our mission to change lives!
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