SAM - How to Apply

Service Animals of Mississippi (SAM) provides trained service, therapy and companion dogs for children, youth and adults with disabilities. Service animals are defined by the American's with Disabilities Act (ADA) - "... any guide dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability..." (http://www.ada.gov/qasrvc.htm). Service dogs placed by SAM must be specifically trained to perform 3 or more tasks to mitigate aspects of the disability.

Applicants for service animals must meet the requirements under the ADA. Applicant interview and the home visit are based on standards and requirements developed by project staff and the SAM Advisory Council, adopted from national and international assistance dog organizations.

The specific needs of each individual as well as the capabilities and temperament of the dog are considered in matching consumers to dogs in order to form lifelong partnerships.

Dogs are carefully matched to recipients - a process called team formation - based on task requirements, lifestyle and personal traits. The team is trained and evaluated during the final training phase. Teams are followed monthly (more often if necessary) for 1 year after placement and semi-annually thereafter to assure success and support the lifelong partnership of the assistance dog team. Recipients also have access to support and resources as needed at any time post-placement.

If you feel you would qualify for a service dog and would like additional information, complete the application form. If the applicant is a minor, a parent or adult guardian must complete the form.

Applicants will complete an application and an interview with the Project Director or Project Coordinator, have a support system to facilitate the dog-person team, meet standards and ethics for the care of the dog, complete 2 days of awareness training, complete team training on handling the dog, and pass a public access examination.

Applications are reviewed and recipients are chosen on the basis of need, ability to care for a dog, willingness to complete all stages of training, and agreement to allow follow-up visits.

Click here for a printable application in PDF format - Adobe Acrobat Required