FAQ

Hearts of Gold provides dogs free of charge to eligible veterans. After partial transfer of ownership, the dog is your financial responsibility (veterinarian care, food, supplies, medical emergencies, etc.) We find that a dog’s basic needs cost a minimum of $2500.00 per year. This may be more once the dog ages and/or if they develop any medical conditions.

From the time an application is received, through the review process, online course, and training, it may take up to a year, or longer, before a dog is placed in your home. This is based on a variety of factors, one being the availability of an appropriate dog for your specific needs.

Typically, the dogs are 24-36 months old.

No.  It is Hearts of Gold policy that applicants are free of any and all military obligations, with the exception of the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR).

Please refer to the following information by going to our Service Dog Tasks page. You should discuss with your healthcare provider any concerns or questions you have regarding your specific needs for a service dog and possible tasks you would need the dog to perform for you.

Please see the differences between a service dog and emotional support animals on our Types of Assistance Dogs page and discuss your specific needs with your healthcare provider. Feel free to give them our contact information and direct them to reach out with any questions or concerns they might have regarding how we might be able to meet your circumstances appropriately.

Yes, though you will need to eventually have availability of a computer, laptop or another device, and access to the internet. A smartphone is not sufficient to be able to complete the course.  Access to a computer and/or internet may be available through a local library, vet center, community building, or through a friend or family member.  Hearts of Gold may be able to arrange travel to our facility to use one of our learning stations or direct you to the WVU Mountaineer Veteran Bunker where they will assist you, depending on your location.

The readings in the course are available as audio on YouTube.  Hearts of Gold staff will do our best to support you with any challenges you have with the course materials.  We want you to succeed!

Yes! We have Veterans who have participated in our program, have service dogs, and have been trained and approved to support veterans as “sponsors”. You may have questions or concerns with any part of our training, from application through placement of a dog in your home. Let us know if we can put you in contact with a veteran sponsor.

Hearts of Gold has found that the road to obtaining a service dog may add new challenges and stressors. Hearts of Gold staff endeavors to support our veterans through this process and offers additional support through our Veteran sponsor program.  In addition, we have found it is helpful for our veterans with psychiatric disabilities to establish, re-establish, or continue a relationship with a mental healthcare provider.

Yes. Hearts of Gold wishes to establish the best environment for our dogs. We will provide you with any findings that are questionable before making a final decision regarding eligibility. Many animal rescues require this before someone can adopt.  Our service dogs need this same consideration.

Your local VA can answer this question for you. It is our understanding that the service dog needs to be from an Assistance Dogs International (ADI)-accredited agency. Though Hearts of Gold exceeds ADI accreditation standards, we are in the process of obtaining official accreditation and are unsure when our accreditation will be finalized. You will need to be able to provide financially for your service dog until we are accredited.

From the beginning of application until placement is at least 1 year.

Veterans can get started by completing our eligibility survey and learning more about the application process at the page linked below.

No, we do not. Please reference the Assistance Dogs International website or contact a local trainer.

Yes, our eligibility requirements can be seen on our Eligibility page.

Nationwide, 30% of dogs entering service dog training will ultimately become service dogs. Depending on the reason the dog is released, they may enter a therapy/visitation dog training program, an emotional support dog program, or are released as a pet.

Hearts of Gold training methodology is based on the science of animal behavior and the recommendations of professional dog training agencies, such as the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT), the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and the American Veterinary Medical Associations’ position on the use of punishment. Training techniques include prompting, shaping, and positive and negative reinforcement. We strive to minimize aversive methods and strictly comply with CCPDT’s LIMA guidelines.

Hearts of Gold volunteers must either take the WVU courses and become certified as a volunteer handler or become a community foster. Please contact us for more information.

See CCPDT’s article on " How to Become a Dog Trainer".

Service Dog Training is more in-depth and specific and requires additional education and training. As stated by Assistance Dogs International:

“Training assistance dogs goes a step further by training the dog to perform tasks, then the individual with the disability must be trained to work with their new owner. Training a basic dog obedience novice class of individuals, who have never trained a dog before, is challenging, and the easy part is training the dogs. Training people to train their dog, or maintain their dogs training, is the hard part. Many programs require the dog’s trainer to also train the individual with a disability during the placement process. It takes patience, understanding and experience for a client to work with a trained service dog effectively. Training the individual to work with their service dog is extremely important as they may have physical and emotional limitations that may provide challenges in the learning process. The commitment to the new assistance dog team doesn’t end at the class graduation. It is a commitment for the life of the new service dog partnered team.

Most assistance dog programs have a 2 to 3-year apprentice training program. This time frame is needed for an individual to gain a complete education, understanding and various experiences in training a variety of dogs, training dogs of different temperaments and breeds, and learning about working with and training individuals with disabilities. A person should thoroughly investigate all programs that promise it can make you an assistance dog trainer in 6 months." (retrieved on 9/27/2023)

The Bergin University of Canine Studies is another great source of information regarding becoming a trainer of assistance and service dogs.

We are located at West Virginia University’s Animal Science Research, Education, and Outreach Center in Morgantown, West Virginia.

We train mostly Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, and mixes of these breeds. Dogs are trained to support adults with mobility and psychiatric disabilities.