– Partners

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Our primary goal is to place service dogs with people with disabilities. We serve people with a wide range of disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, brain injury, stroke, paralysis, and many other debilitating conditions.

A Saint Francis Service Dog can dramatically change a person’s life by giving them a higher level of confidence and more choices. This translates to trying new things, meeting new people, finding the courage to challenge themselves, and living life to the fullest potential possible.

In addition to traditional service dogs, we also partner with facilities to place dogs to assist in educational, healthcare, counseling, and visitation settings. While these are not service dogs and do not have public access, they work daily to assist a wide range of people in overcoming their disabilities.

Whether it is a child receiving court counseling in preparation for a domestic abuse court case, an elderly person recovering from a stroke in a rehabilitation unit, or a student working through delinquency issues with a school counselor, a facility dog can provide support in many profound ways.

Like our traditional partners, facilities and their handler(s) must undergo an extensive screening and training process to utilize their facility dog fully. Unlike service dogs, facility dogs do not serve one person with a disability, but help many people overcome their individual obstacles and achieve greater independence.

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Eligibility Requirements

  • Applicant must be seeking partnership with a service dog for support with a physical or developmental disability or a facility dog serving people with physical or developmental disabilities or in a courtroom setting.  We do not place emotional support, therapy, psychiatric, guide, or alert dogs.
  • Applicant must reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia and/or in the area within a 3 hour drive of our facility in Roanoke, Virginia at the time of application and final placement.
  • Applicant must have a fenced in yard with minimum dimensions of 36’ x 12’ x 4’ or the ability to construct a fence of these dimensions.  (This guideline does not necessarily apply to facility dog applicants.)
  • Applicant’s home must be a safe, healthy and loving environment for a dog to live in.
  • Applicant must demonstrate ability to provide for dog’s care monetarily, including feeding high quality dog food, providing for regular check-ups, purchase of flea and tick control, heartworm preventative, and any other medications, treatments or surgeries that may be needed.
  • Applicant may not have a pet dog in the home, unless an exception is made due to age or sickness of the pet dog. This guideline does not apply to service dogs already in the home or facility dog applicants.  
  • Applicant must show ability and willingness to keep service dog under control at all times.
  • Applicant must show ability and willingness to travel to Roanoke for screening, classes, interviews, 5-day training, and scheduled certification and recertification tests. Applicant must be able to pay for all travel expenses, including overnight stays during 5-day training (this includes in-town applicants). 

Founding Big Dogs

Mr. and Mrs. Jake Allison
Kenneth “Andy” Anderson and Dr. Marti Anderson
Mike and Carol Anderson
Dr. Timothy Andriano
Peggy Bizjak
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Brunette
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Craver III
Ms. Jo Lynn Draper
Duffy Family Foundation
Mr. Peter Emch
Dr. and Mrs. Mark Finkler
First Four Petroleum LLC
Linda and Frank Foti
Mr. and Mrs. Victor Foti
Foti, Flynn, Lowen & Co.
Dr. and Mrs. Paul Frantz
Mr. Ed Hall
Happy Endings Bar and Grill
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Milward

Ms. Mary Anne Mullins and Mr. Christopher Robinson
Ms. Yvonne Olson
Mr. and Mrs. John Olver
Ms. Elizabeth Parsons
Mr. and Mrs. Jim Petrine
Mrs. Emily Reynolds
Mike and Krista Sinnott
Mrs. Joy Davis Smith
Mr. Marvin Smith
Mr. Maury Strauss, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Strauss
Ms. Suzanne Thorniley
Varsity Landscaping and Grounds
Karen and Chuck Wakeford
Mr. and Mrs. Barton Wilner
Ann Marie and Reggie Wood
Ms. Dianne Woody