Dog Tag Buddies is a non-profit organization that pairs veterans with hidden injuries (PTSD, TBI, MST) with rescue dogs and then provides basic obedience training, or advanced training depending on the needs of the veteran. Our services are provided at no cost to veterans!

To apply, veterans must submit a completed application along with copies of their VA Certification of Disability, a recommendation from your care provider, and a copy of the veteran’s DD214 via mail. After submitting all the proper documentation, a background check is completed for all applicants. Following the background check, we will schedule a face-to-face meeting to sit down and chat with the veteran and any of the veteran’s family or caregivers. The last step of the application process is a house inspection to better understand the home life and ensure that the home is suitable for a dog.

*Submission of an application does not guarantee acceptance into our programs!*

If accepted, Dog Tag Buddies works with the veteran to find their perfect match in a rescue dog. After pairing the two and ensuring that the dog is a good fit with the veteran, family, and other pets in the home, the team is ready to start our training program. The training starts with 10 weeks of basic obedience and is a requirement for all teams. Upon completion of basic training, service dog teams continue into the advanced, public access, and task training. Service dog training requires a minimum of 32 weeks to complete.

Once in training, the team is supplied with everything they need to start when caring for a dog such as food bowls, leashes, collars, crates. All teams go to a 10-week basic obedience training class, and this class meets once a week for an hour. By the end of this training, our teams will have their dogs pass the Canine Good Citizen test. Then if our veteran is in need of a service dog, the team will continue their training to have the dog meet the needs of the veteran.

A Service Dog is

•  Trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability
• Able to pass Public Access Test and perform an essential function for their handler that cannot be performed by themselves due to a disability or impairment
• Protected by ADA, allowed in public establishments that normally don’t allow dogs
• With handler 24/7

An Emotional Support Animal

• Provides comfort and companionship
• Protected by Fair Housing Act but not ADA
• Allowed in public establishments that allow dogs
• Companionship of a dog has been shown to help lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve general well being

Dog Tag Buddies’ training is set up in small groups of 6 teams or less, and classes consist of veteran only teams.

Emotional Support / Companion Animal teams participate in 10 weeks of basic obedience training culminating in the passing of the AKC canine good citizen certification.

Service Animal teams participate in 32 weeks of ADDITIONAL training after basic obedience and receive a minimum of 300 total training hours. Those 300 hours of training consist of basic training, advanced training, public access training, and task training.