Our goal is to get the dog to you at no cost, other than the initial $1000 deposit and application fee. The way this is done is through fundraising and donations. We have a fundraising coordinator who is at your beck-and-call to help in lowering the costs you have to pay out of pocket. However there is a substantial cost associated with the training of each dog, and there are still many expenses that cannot be avoided. Before a dog is placed with a disabled recipient, we are faced with many expenses, all of which come out to an average of $40,000 per dog, sometimes even more. We do not expect that most recipients can write a check for this amount. Usually these expenses are paid for through fundraising. All donations become tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law due to our status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization under the IRS. Most gifts received will only cover a small percentage of the total amount needed per dog. Because of this we cannot guarantee the amount of time it will take in order to raise funds for each dog. However, our goal if for the recipient to raise the minimum $10,000 over a period of 10 months, so approximately $1000 a month from fundraising.  Our fundraising coordinators are available to directly assist our recipients to raise funds themselves if they are able to be involved in the process – but fundraising is never a requirement for our recipients. We do see that the individuals who are able to fundraise will help us reach the financial goals sooner, so following through with your own fundraising is recommended, but not a requirement.

In short – our recipients are responsible for the first $10,000 which can be paid personally or through fundraising. Golden Healer Service Dogs will raise the additional $30,000, or you can assist us with fundraising for this amount to speed up the process.

The first step to getting a dog from GHSD is to submit an application online/ in-person at an event along with a $50.00 application fee. Once we have received your application, our staff will review it and reach out to you for a consultation interview to see if we are a good fit for one another. After this consultation we will send you over additional documentation to provide medical information and referrals to our organization. Once these documents are in hand and received by our staff we will reach out to you once again to discuss the steps of moving forward.

Golden Healer Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of trainers and volunteers who work to provide highly trained dogs to assist children and adults who struggle with disabilities. Our home base resides in Salt Lake City, Utah but it is our goal to place dogs all over the world.

Golden Healers is an organization that trains and places service dogs and emotional support dogs with disabled children and adults throughout the world. Our dogs are trained to assist in a variety of ways to help with daily tasks and increase the independence of each individual.

We will place our service dogs in homes with other pets on a case-by-case basis. We consider the species, personalities and traits of each individual animal for the safety of all involved. However, our dogs are regularly trained around other dogs, cats, horses, etc. and typically coexist very well with them.

The phone/in-person consultation is used to establish a connection between you and our staff. We want to learn more about you and make sure that we understand your needs as well as help you understand our process. The meeting lasts about 15-45 minutes and will be crucial to you getting further documents to apply for a service dog. This is a great time to have a genuine conversation and ask us any questions you may have.

Once you complete and send in all of the required documentation and everything looks correct we will write up a customized contract for you that goes over the details.We want to make sure this is the right decision for you, so  it is crucial that you take your time and discuss all of your options with your family. You can take as long as you need to make your decision. It is very important to both you and the dog that you analyze the benefits and downfalls of receiving a service dog from GHSD.

Golden Healer Service Dogs places dogs to assist children and adults. Disabled recipients who are not able to care for or command the dog  will be required to have a handler (facilitator) to care for the dog and issue commands to the dog for the disabled party. This facilitator is most often a parent or guardian of the recipient. Therefore, there is not necessarily an age requirement for the disabled party.

While we do place service dogs with minors, we will need a legal guardian to submit an application on behalf of the minor. We have specific forms for minors under 18/adults who are not their own legal guardians that differ from the regular in-depth application forms.

Once fundraising is completed recipients are currently waiting an average of 1-2 years to receive their dogs, but keep in mind this is average, and could take less time or sometimes even close to 3 years in some cases. Fundraising wait times depend greatly on the involvement of each individual, and whether or not they are involved in fundraising. While it is great to be excited about receiving your dog, we have found it best to expect longer than average, and be pleasantly surprised if your wait is shorter.

Any sensitive information provided will be kept confidential and only shared with GHSD staff who require the information to review your application and/or train and place a service dog. Information will not be disclosed without expressed permission of the applicant and/or recipient.

Recipients who do not live near our facility will need to travel and stay near us for the week of handler training. Travel expenses vary and are the responsibility of the recipient. If flying, transporting the dog should be rather simple once you provide the airline staff with your service dog certifications. We will always provide support in helping with this as well, if needed.