Responding to distress
Practicing trained responses such as deep pressure contact, nuzzling to interrupt a panic episode, and waking a handler from a nightmare.
FOAC · Veteran Service Dog Program
A partner for
the everyday.
Our Veteran Service Dogs build practical skills to support their handlers in daily life.
From navigating a busy sidewalk to responding to a handler’s needs, the work begins with focused training, patience and trust.
Our Veteran Service Dogs
Good manners.
Meaningful skills.
After passing Canine Good Citizen testing, dogs in FOAC’s Veteran Service Dog Program begin learning urban public-access skills.
They practice staying calm, attentive and under control in everyday settings. Alongside that work, the program teaches assistance tasks that support a handler’s individual needs.
Meet the program’s dogs in the dedicated Veteran Service Dogs section on our Dogs for Adoption page, alongside FOAC’s general adoption and PUPP listings.
01A strong foundation
Canine Good Citizen skills
02Confidence in public
Calm, controlled daily routines
03Purposeful assistance
Tasks that support the handler
Out in the world
Ready for life
beyond the front door.
Our dogs practice these ten skills to move through the community calmly and safely.
01Doorways without pulling
Enter and exit doorways calmly, without pulling ahead of the handler.
02Busy sidewalks and crowds
Walk with the handler through pedestrian traffic on a busy urban sidewalk.
03Distractions and new surfaces
Respond appropriately to horns, sirens, cars, bicycles, skateboards and runners, and move across surfaces such as grates, tarps, water and slick sidewalks.
04Street crossings
Cross the street safely while remaining under the handler’s control.
05Leaving distractions alone
Ignore food, garbage and other objects on the sidewalk while walking with the handler.
06Calm, invited greetings
Remain calm when people approach or, with the handler’s permission, pet the dog, including when they are carrying a bag or accompanied by a pet. Always ask the handler before interacting with a working service dog.
07Settling in public buildings
Walk under control and wait calmly while the handler speaks with someone at a counter, eats or attends to other daily activities.
08Stairs, steps and elevators
Use stairs, steps and elevators slowly and under control.
09Manners at home
Practice house training and the routines needed for living in apartments, condominiums and other home environments.
10Traveling with the handler
Practice entering and exiting vehicles calmly and riding under control in personal vehicles and public transportation settings.
Support with purpose
Small actions.
Meaningful support.
The program’s training includes the tasks below. FOAC will explain the skills and training stage of each dog when discussing a potential match.
Space in a crowd
Positioning to create space around the handler and guiding them toward a calmer location when needed.
Medication routines
Providing trained reminders and retrieving prescription bottles as part of the handler’s routine.
Everyday independence
Retrieving dropped items, pressing accessible door buttons, and turning light switches on and off.
Individualized mobility tasks
Support built around the team.
Mobility work may include balance and bracing tasks, support during transfers or on stairs, and pulling a wheelchair. FOAC will discuss the tasks a particular dog is trained and suited to perform.
Understanding service dogs
Training and
public access.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service dog is individually trained to perform work or tasks related to a person’s disability. Covered businesses and public entities generally must allow a service dog to accompany its handler in areas open to the public, subject to the law’s requirements and exceptions.
Canine Good Citizen testing alone does not establish service-dog status. The ADA does not provide the same public-access rights to dogs still in training; state or local rules may differ. Air travel is governed by separate rules.
Read the ADA’s service-animal guidanceStart a conversation
Let’s talk about
the right next step.
Contact FOAC to learn more about the Veteran Service Dog Program, current dogs and the next steps for a potential match.