…I CAN guarantee if you don’t, you won’t.

Simple as that – CCI isn’t just gonna give you a dog, and I’d like to believe no other reputable organization will, either.

OIF Veteran Andrew Pike and his CCI Service Dog Yazmin

And, while it might not seem that way at first, that’s exactly how you want it. You don’t want someone to just give you a dog, or tell you they already have a specific one picked out for you and all you need to do is fill out the application.

If you’re gonna do this right, and make a lifelong match of a dog and human into a team, you have to know both ends of the leash exceptionally well. On the human end, that means a fairly thorough application process – CCI, for example, has a written application followed by phone and in-person interviews, and will tell you the process takes several months.  It’s not accidental that the resulting matches they make are legendary.

I wanted to bring this up again now because with everything I’ve been saying here lately about options other than service dogs, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.  I’m still VERY concerned that not nearly enough veterans apply for them, especially those with severe injuries like SCI.

I’ve heard the usual reasons for not applying for several years now and I’ve addressed those here (see “I Don’t Want To Take Someone Else’s Dog” among others). On top of that, I’m even more concerned now because, if I went by what I see online, in the news, and on TV, I wouldn’t even know that service dogs have a role helping veterans with serious physical injuries – I’d think the only thing they do now is help with post-traumatic stress, which is very much NOT the case.

Now, I don’t want to waste your or an organization’s time, either.  For example, if you’re 100% certain that you need a seizure alert dog, there’s not much point in applying to CCI because they are very upfront that they don’t train those type of dogs. So you do need to research the places where you’re gonna apply

Lemme let you in on a little secret.  Well, maybe not a secret, but something I don’t remember ever seeing advertised, and that I know for a fact is true.  Part of the process in an organization determining if someone is a good candidate for a dog is whether they show enough initiative to ask for one in the first place.  So take a hint.

Look, there’s no way you’re gonna get “voluntold” for this one.  If you’re seriously thinking about a dog and have done the research, apply – don’t think it to death, just do it.

And, while it might not seem that way at first, that’s exactly how you want it. You don’t want someone to just give you a dog, or tell you they already have a specific one picked out for you and all you need to do is fill out the application.