Dogs Inc.

 

Founded in 1982 as Southeastern Guide Dogs, Dogs Inc. began with a mission to transform lives by creating and nurturing extraordinary partnerships between people and dogs. Over the last four decades, our scope of assistance has expanded from a regional effort to serving those in need nationwide, but our mission remains the same. In that time, we have created over 3,000 successful partnerships. Today, we provide guide, service, facility therapy, and skilled companion dogs to:

  • people with vision loss, including veterans, teens and children
  • veterans with PTSD and other disabilities
  • Gold Star family members (those who have lost loved ones in active military service)
  • individuals with type 1 diabetes
  • patients and healthcare workers in VA and military facilities
  • first responders in the Tampa Bay area

Preparing our dogs for their life-changing roles begins with selective breeding and early socialization and continues through personalized training programs. Every dog is then carefully matched with a student, and guide and service dog teams complete their training together at our campus in Palmetto, Florida. After graduation, we continue helping each partnership thrive through our Alumni Support Program, which provides food, veterinary care, and follow-up training throughout the life of the working team. All of our services are provided at no cost to recipients, which would not be possible without the generosity and support of partners like The Chatlos Foundation.

In the last year, we have:

  • placed 60 guide dogs nationwide
  • placed 21 service dogs with veterans
  • placed 31 skilled companion dogs with individuals with vision loss, veterans, and military families, including 5 with Gold Star families
  • placed 8 facility therapy dogs in VA and military facilities and with first responders in the Tampa Bay area
  • launched our Scent Detection Program and this year we had our first placement with an individual with type 1 diabetes
  • supported over 600 teams nationwide through our Alumni Support Program

For more information about Dogs Inc., how to apply for a dog, or how to get involved, please visit our website at https://dogsinc.org/.