Apply For A Service Dog
Leashes of Valor provides service dogs at no cost to the veteran.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for a service dog, you must:
- Be a post-9/11 veteran
- Be retired or honorably discharged
- Have a verifiable diagnosis of PTSD, TBI or MST by a licensed professional with a Masters Degree and qualified licensing.
Our Service Dog Program
By the time a veteran is matched with a service dog, the dog has received all public access and task training. We provide an intense 16-day, in-house service dog program for our Warriors. This time together allows the veteran and the service dog get to know each other, bond, and become a viable team, so that when they leave our farm they do so with a sound foundation for success.
We train our new Warriors as peers, in an environment where they can feel safe and confident to address their recovery as a part of a team. It is designed to feel familiar and to respect military culture in a nostalgic sense, creating a strong training platform. Follow-up communication with our veterans after they leave us continues for life. This level of dedication to both our dogs and our veterans is how Leashes of Valor is setting a new standard for excellence in the world of service dogs.
Request An Application
If you meet all of the criteria and would like to be considered for a service dog, request an application.
Become A Foster
Leashes of Valor service dogs receive up to two years of training before they are paired with a veteran in need. During that time, canines spend time with foster families. This vital network of volunteers provides love and care while teaching the dogs house manners and exposing them to the energy of work and family life.
Our goal is to prepare our service dogs for any scenario they might encounter with their veteran, whether they are single or raising small children, retired, or working outside the home. Many of our foster families also have other animals in the home, including cats, chickens, and goats. Service dogs-in-training have accompanied their fosters to gyms, schools, churches, and even on vacations, just as they would with their veteran.
If you want to get involved in a great cause helping restore our nation’s veterans with service dogs and you live within approximately 60 miles of Fredericksburg, Virginia, send us a message. We have short- and long-term opportunities available and provide all the training, vet care, food, and supplies, unless otherwise arranged. Get the answers to our most frequently asked questions.
Apply For A Dust-Off Grant
If you need care for your working or retired service dog or K9 and can’t afford to pay for it, we are here to help. The Leashes of Valor Dust Off program can assist in covering these costs.
Sometimes life has unforeseen events that happen out of our control. That’s where our Dust Off grant program comes in. Dust Off is a military term for the emergency patient evacuation of casualties from a combat zone.
We believe that working dogs deserve to receive the care they need for serving our nation and our nation’s warriors. To apply for one of these Dust Off grants, please email info@leashesofvalor.org to request an application.
When the Leashes of Valor staff approves a Dust Off grant for an animal owner, we will contact the individual requesting funds. If he/she is able to pay the balance of treatment costs (if any) over and above the amount contributed by the Dust Off grant, then we will notify the treating vet that funds have been approved for the necessary care. Leashes of Valor will then disburse the approved funds directly to the veterinarian.
Apply for the Valor Cup
The Valor Cup is Leashes of Valor’s golfing program that brings together veterans and golfers from around the nation in the fall of each year at The Federal Club. This premier competition helps provide service dogs and outdoor recreation at no cost to America’s wounded and disabled veterans to help with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries. These “unseen wounds of war” affect as many as one in five Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, many of whom find hope and healing on the golf course. If you’re a veteran who loves golf, we welcome you to apply for one of our 2023 qualifying events.
