FOUNDATION FOR SERVICE DOG SUPPORT
Recognizing the disabilities, celebrating the possibilities.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
There is a scarcity of research and statistics regarding SD training outcomes. Training has 3 purposes: 1) mitigate the disabilities of the handler; 2) improve clinical outcomes for patients; and 3) achieve cost containment for the care of each patient. To date, no studies have looked at goals 2 and 3. In 2022 we will be launching a collaborative data gathering project with Hill's Pet Nutrition, and a seasoned team of physicians and veterinarians. The purpose of this research is to help us understand the actual benefits of training with regard to all 3 goals, and to simultaneously look at the effects of training on canine health. We hope to contribute to the current thinking and provide usable data for programs worldwide to help them best optimize both the canine and human training and establish program protocols and best practices that will translate into improved health and cost containment for patients and their canine partners.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Service Dog Training
The FSDS operates a Service Dog Training program that attracts many different kinds of individuals. We welcome individuals on three levels of involvement:
1. Those who wish to train a SD for their own needs
2. Those who wish to train a SD from someone else in need
3. Individuals in need who are physically unable to train their own dog, but attend classes with someone else who is training the dog for them
Outreach Certification
What is the Outreach Certification Program?
This program is designed to place a means to achieve credible certification within the grasp of privately trained teams who demonstrate an ability to function in accordance with the Code of Conduct established by the FSDS. We believe that the gold standard for certification should be in-person testing, and by building a network of qualified evaluators across the nation we are able to reach out to distant teams. In the past, credible certification has only been available to those teams who received training through a pre-existing program, leaving privately trained teams with either no certification, or relegated to businesses that advertise certification, sight unseen, for a fee.
What are the benefits of certification?
Though not required under law, in some instances certification can be beneficial.
Certification increases public confidence in teams.
Certification increases confidence of current or future employers and helps to smooth the transition into the workplace.
Certification provides assurance to evacuation shelters, so that in times of disaster the authenticity of your service dog team will not be questioned.
Certification is beneficial when answering any legal questions regarding your service dog: though the law provides for public access for service dogs, individuals may be required to provide proof that the dog in question is actually a service dog.
Who is Eligible to Apply to the Outreach Certification Program?
Private Trainers Who Wish to Become Evaluators
Experienced private trainers are eligible to become Service Dog Evaluators through our network. These individuals are available to administer the certification test, in person, to those teams that have completed their team training with a private instructor. Our Evaluator Guide describes the application requirements and testing procedures.
Teams Seeking Certification
Individuals who have received proper team training and wish to become a certified team may apply to take the service dog certification test with one of our Outreach Evaluators. All applicants should familiarize themselves with our CSD Team Manual.
Effective June 1, 2015 all teams seeking certification must successfully complete the online SD 101: Orientation Course. This requirement strengthens the meaning of certification, ensuring that all FSDS team handlers have received the same training, regardless of whether they are trained through our in-house or outreach programs.
Canine Safety
We offer Continuing Education Classes
The Canine Safety Program runs under the direction of Dr. Wayne Svoboda, DVM. The FSDS offers a full Canine Safety and CPR class, designed to safeguard the lives of working dogs and pets in our community. It is recommended for all individuals who are teamed up with working dogs, individuals who work with dogs and pet owners. This comprehensive, six hour training program offers basic training on a range of topics including:
Puppy-proofing your home or work environment
Selecting safe treats and toys
Heat and cold related emergencies
Bites and stings
Poisoning emergencies
First Aid
Choking emergencies
CPR
This course is open to all individuals ages 8 and older, regardless of physical abilities. For individuals who are interested in receiving Instructor Training, or Advanced Life Support Training, this course is a prerequisite. FSDS Instructors are available to come to your work site, school, or organization to run a class on site for you.
The FSDS uses life-sized canine manikins with pulses and working lungs in order to provide our students with a realistic training experience. The cost of this training is only $75 per person in-County, and $90 per person outside of Maricopa County, with a class size of 12 students.
Canine Advanced Life Support (ALS) Workshop
The FSDS offers this four hour workshop as an introduction to paramedic level pre-hospital canine life support training. This course is recommended for individuals who work with dogs or are emergency first responders in the community. Examples of such individuals include, but are not limited to paramedics, police officers, firefighters, nurses, veterinary technician and doggie day care workers. We recognize the value of dogs in our community and in our lives, and realize that there are cases where aggressive pre-hospital emergency care can make the difference between life and death. The FSDS has partnered with a local veterinarian to ensure that our training meets the current standards of care that are established by the veterinary community. The Advanced Life Support Course includes training on:
Canine anatomy and physiology
cn_heartsounds
Board VP Dr. Wayne Svoboda DVM works with students using our state of the art heart and breath sound simulators.
Introduction to canine pharmacology
Administration of IV fluids
Advanced airway management and intubation
Aggressive trauma intervention
Pre-requisite: FSDS Canine BLS Certification
Course information: The FSDS uses a life-sized critical care manikins, and state of the art equipment to acquaint students with the basics of intubation and IV administration. Students are given ample opportunity to practice and develop skills, under the expert guidance of a practicing veterinarian.
AZ POST Continuing Education Credits
The following courses have been determined to qualify for AZ POST continuing education credit:
Canine Basic Life Support (6 CEU hours) – this course focuses on prevention of common illness and injury, as well as first aid and CPR certification, and is recommended for K9 handlers, Animal Control Officers and all other personnel who have a likelihood of encountering animals in the course of their duties. Prerequisite: none
Canine Advanced Life Support Workshop (4 CEU hours) – this course is an introduction to advanced lifesaving skills such as IV’s, intubation, recognition of heart and breath sounds and emergency medications. Prerequisite: Canine BLS.
Service Dogs and the Law (3 CEU hours) – this class is designed to provide officers with an understanding of different types of service dogs, and the laws as they pertain to these dogs. Distinctions are also made between service dogs and other types of working dogs such as therapy dogs, companion animals and facility dogs. Recommended for all officers. Prerequisite: none.
Community Education
The FSDS is dedicated to providing education to our community. Our innovative education programs are designed to meet the needs of a diverse group of learners.
Service Dog Training Program
Students take a field trip to work on public access skills.
We provide a comprehensive program that teaches individuals to train service animals. This program creatively couples the delivery of quality education to interested individuals with the ability to provide certified service and facility dogs to our community. We offer two levels of participation. Individuals interested in acquiring SD training skills may elect to participate and train a dog to assist someone else in need, or individuals in need of a dog who are physically able to participate may train their own dog. Appropriate, medically screened dogs are provided by the FSDS.
Canine Safety Program
Our comprehensive Basic Life Support (BLS) training, which includes canine first aid and CPR certification. This class is open to anyone age 8 or older, and there are no prerequisites. Recommended for service dog teams, dog owners, first responders and for any youth interested in dog-sitting. We also offer an Advanced Life Support (ALS) Workshop, designed to meet the needs of K9 officers and first responders who may be called upon to assist at accident scenes.
Educating the Community
We provide educational classes or presentations on service dog issues upon request to the community.
We are approved by the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers (CCPDT) for continuing education credits.
Master SD Trainer Apprenticeship Program
The FSDS operates the only state approved program of this type. Individuals seeking to acquire credentials as a Master SD Trainer are offered the opportunity to participate in this comprehensive and rigorous two year program. This is a full time paid position, and acceptance is highly competitive. Graduates are issued a certificate, signed by the Governor of AZ. These credentials are portable and stackable.
Master SD Trainer Apprenticeship Program
The FSDS is the only approved Master SD Trainer Apprenticeship Program in the nation. This innovative program provides a legitimate career path for those interested in learning to become a Master Trainer. This comprehensive program provides 4,000 hours of on the job training PLUS an additional 288 hours of related technical instruction. Apprentices are able to earn levels along the way and during the course of the 2 year training to include novice, junior, senior and master trainer. The program is approved by the VA to allow military veterans to access their GI Bill benefits for participation and is a BeConnected partner program in the state network of carefully vetted military service programs. While other programs hire a second person to assist in the classroom, the FSDS hires an apprentice for the same money. Assistants in other programs are simply classroom helpers with no guarantee of credible training or development. An FSDS apprentice is a student, and upon graduation is awarded a national industry certification as a Master Trainer. Thus, we staff our classroom for the same cost as other programs, but are able to offer professional development for the same cost.
This program has also been approved by the SAA Office of the VA, and military veterans who participate in this training are eligible to apply to receive their GI Bill benefits.
Where we work
Awards
FSDS --Business Excellence Award 2015
Mayor's Advisory Committee on People with Disabilities
Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition 2022
U.S. Congress
Affiliations & memberships
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Member 2022
Certified Fund Raising Executive 2024
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) developed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students registered for online courses
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, People with disabilities, Veterans
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students per classroom during the reporting period
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Until 2022 maximum number of classes provided was 1 (0 in 2020 due to COVID.
Number of clients still enrolled after the first week of training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of return website visitors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Emergency responders, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Community Education
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of public service announcements created
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Emergency responders, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Community Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of clients participating in educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adolescents, Students, People with disabilities
Related Program
Community Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of clients placed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Emergency responders, Veterans, People with disabilities
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of free participants on field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Service Dog Training
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
COVID shut down all public classes in 2020 and into 2021.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Credible career training for those interested in training SDs - currently most individuals are "self-declared" trainers. Absent regulation and oversight, the SD industry is in need of improvement. A comprehensive and well-constructed educational program is critical for success, and the FSDS program fills this need in our community. We are the only state-approved program for Master Trainers and are operating in accordance with guidelines accepted by the greater educational community.
2. Career training for military - returning military are in need of career training in order to improve transition to civilian life. The FSDS' apprenticeship program provides career training that results in a recognized and portable national industry certification.
3. Increasing numbers of military veterans are seeking SD assistance yet most current trainers lack a military background and are not equipped to fully understand the challenges faced by a returning veteran; providing an opportunity for a veteran to step into this role provides future students with a trainer/role model/mentor who truly understands and appreciates their experiences.
4. Public safety issues - unqualified trainers produce unqualified SDs, resulting in a veritable explosion of untrained and often inappropriate dog behavior in the public space and a public safety threat; the FSDS gathers statistics from currently certified teams as well as local businesses and we have concern for the increasing numbers of reports of threats to legitimate teams and the public.
5. Career exploration for local youths - the FSDS program began, and continues to operate, as a youth-based career exploration program. Local youths are permitted to participate as student trainers to train a SD for an individual in need who is unable to train their own dog due to the nature of their disabilities; this is designed to be a reciprocal mentoring experience with youths training their intended recipients in class and on field trips, to work with the dogs, and recipients mentoring the youths to teach them the importance of lifetime service to their community and nation. Youths are able to gain real life work experience.
5. Research - we hope to provide usable and reproduceable data for SD programs worldwide to help them establish safe and effective training parameters and best practices.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
1. Credentialing through the AZ Office of Apprenticeship - this provides the first ever program in AZ to have earned this credential and ensures the public that there is regulation and oversight to enable us to live up to our promises to provide effective programs for students and the community.
2. Sound educational structure - we have built a solid infrastructure and maintain carefully collected program metrics that are used to monitor and grow the program; our curriculum map and lesson plans conform to those used by large educational institutions and are approved by the state.
3. Approval by the AZ Department of Veterans Services State Approving Agency (SAA) Office to enable veterans to access their GI benefits if enrolled in our training program; we are the only SD program in AZ to have gained this approval. This permits veterans to receive the benefits they have earned while participating in career training and achieve financial stability during the training process. Since apprenticeship programs are typically minimum wage to start, this ability to access additional funds is crucial for veterans.
4. Ability for skill advancement along the way - apprentices begin at the novice level and are able to earn subsequent levels of Junior, Senior and Master Trainer as they progress through the program; additional levels bring additional compensation thus we have provided incentive for success.
5. Staff qualifications - our lead trainer is a graduate of an accredited obedience training school and interned under our former instructor for a full two years before her promotion to lead trainer. She then participated in The FSDS Professional Development Program and has earned her levels and qualifications to train not only the dogs, but the humans as well. Training includes understanding disabilities, classroom management, database skills, record keeping, program development and more. She is also proficient at creating individualized education plans (IEPs) to ensure that all students receive ADA appropriate accommodations for both physician and learning challenges.
6. Collaborative study - the FSDS is involved in a collaborative effort to gain better understanding of impact of SD training on both humans and canines. Through collaboration with Hill's Pet Nutrition we will embark on a data gathering project to evaluate the clinical outcomes of canines and humans that are a direct result of training, as well as the cost savings per patient that are the result of a comprehensive training process.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
1. Staffing - the FSDS hires only qualified staff with background clearance to ensure the quality of services.
a. Lead trainer is the graduate of an accredited Animal Behavior College, interned with the FSDS for 2 years and successfully completed the FSDS course of Professional Development; key administrators possess lifetime teaching certifications; Master Trainer certification plus expertise in data management.
2. Oversight of the state - this program marks the first time that a SD program has voluntarily submitted to oversight and has qualified as an educationally sound training program.
3. Collaboration with state agencies - we have worked closely with the State Office of Apprenticeship, the AZ Dept. of Veterans Services and the AZ Coalition of Military Families to ensure the quality of our programs.
4. Program metrics - we are a data driven, outcome-based program and our carefully collected program metrics are used to drive the evolution of our programs and services.
5. Research data - FSDS currently possesses the only reliable and reproducible statistics in the state regarding specific SD issues. Through collaboration with a world leader in canine nutrition and research we will be able to expand our abilities to gather and harvest reliable and reproducible data.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
1. Approval by the AZ Office of Apprenticeship- this makes AZ home to the only Master SD Trainer Apprenticeship Program in the nation.
2. Approval by the AZ Dept. of Veterans Services (ADVS)
3. Invitation to the Be Connected Program - a carefully vetted network of military service provider programs; ADVS and the AZ coalition of Military Families refer exclusively to this program.
4.Approval of all courses for continuing education unit (CEU) credits by the National Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers (CCPDT); FSDS courses are offered to all trainers nationwide who seek additional training to acquire SD training skills.
5. Gathering the data and publication of the first annual research report (available on request)
6. Approval by the SAA Office of the Veterans Administration - this office is in charge of administering those GI Bill benefits for military veterans, our Master SD Trainer Apprenticeship Program has been approved.
What is next?
Once the next apprentice has been hired, FSDS is advised that we may petition to have our Apprenticeship Program approved as a national, rather than merely a state approved program. This opens the door for apprentices across the nation to participate and permits the FSDS to recover tuition fees that will be used to sustain and grow the program.
Efforts for 2022:
1. Hire first military veteran as apprentice
2. Capacity building
3. Expand data collection on client and dog outcomes and cost containment
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
FOUNDATION FOR SERVICE DOG SUPPORT
Board of directorsas of 06/08/2023
Wayne Svoboda
Hayden Road Animal Hospital
Term: 2008 -
Jackie Cromer
Fundraising Professional
Brenda Renou
Business Executive
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 11/29/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.