It takes a community to raise a National Service Dog

Getting a service dog to someone who needs one takes a considerable amount of time, money and resources.

With the demand not slowing down, National Service Dogs is in a constant race to execute on all three.

"For our programs, it takes us two years to breed, train and place a dog with a client," Danielle Forbes, executive director of National Service Dogs on Cedar Creek Road in Cambridge, said.

"When you’re breeding retriever type dogs, it take two years for them to develop physically and mentally."

Time may pass all the same but securing funding and the necessary resources to care for the dogs is another issue.

Currently, about 70 dogs are being trained at the Cambridge centre, with 12 in the university program getting ready to graduate. They're trained for autism and PTSD support, intervention and companionship for people across the country.

The work doesn't stop when the dogs are in the care of their handlers, however, as routine follow ups until the dog is retired around age 10 are also provided.

From start to finish, it all comes at a cost of roughly $50,000 per dog.

"The client gets the dog for free," Forbes said.

"We receive no government funding and I’m not aware of any service dog programs that do."

Fundraising events, corporate donations and grants provide the majority of the organization's revenue.

The other key to a successful match is the work of volunteers.

"Without volunteers we wouldn't be able to do it," Forbes said.

"We're looking for puppy sitters, that's our gateway to puppy raising, taking them on short term. They need to be raised with people."

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, NSD's kennel closed and dogs are now driven to and from training each day from where they're being housed, resulting in what's essentially a need for puppy bus drivers.

Volunteers are accepted on an ongoing basis.

"We're super grateful to the community," Forbes said.

"We've been working in the Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo area going on 20 years and the community has been very supportive."

For more information on National Service Dogs and how to get involved visit nsd.on.ca.