Are my donations tax-deductible?
Absolutely. Canine Angels is a 501(c) 3 public charity registered with the state of South Carolina. You can donate through our website or by check. Every contribution — no matter how small — will help us. We will send a tax receipt to your email or physical address, whichever you specify. Click here to donate:
Can I get a service dog from CASD if I’m not a veteran?
You are welcome and encouraged to apply. However, our priority is providing service dogs to disabled veterans and first responders, as we have promised our supporters. We have placed several dogs with non-veterans who have paid for the training privately or through insurance. Please contact Rick@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.org for more information.
I’m a disabled veteran, but I wasn’t injured in combat. Does that count?
Yes! All veterans are eligible to apply, regardless of where, when and how they sustained physical or psychological injury. We have placed service dogs with veterans from WWII, Korea and Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. They range in age from 22 to 97.
Can you train my pet dog to be my service dog?
Yes, we often can. To determine whether your pet has what it takes, contact us to arrange a comprehensive evaluation. If you and your dog have the potential to become a united working team, we will guide you through the application process. Please write Rick@CanineAngelsUSA.org to set up an evaluation. Describe the dog’s breed, size, age, weight, health and temperament. Tell us about other pets and people in your home who interact with the potential service dog and what tasks you need the dog to perform. We’ll get back to you promptly.
Can you help veterans outside the Carolinas?
We focus on disabled veterans from the Grand Strand area – from Georgetown, SC, to Wilmington, NC. That’s about an hour drive from our home base in North Myrtle Beach in either direction. Our veterans and their dogs become part of the CASD family for life. They receive continuous training after placement and have access to help 24 x 7, so location is a limiting factor. When possible, we make every effort to accommodate veterans from beyond our area if they can travel to us for ongoing training and support.
Will Canine Angels do a presentation for my organization?
We’re always happy to visit church groups, schools and organizations. Donations are always welcome, but there is no charge. That’s part of our community service. Please contact us at Info@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.orgto arrange a date.
What breeds make the best service dogs?
In a perfect world, we would breed Labs, Golden Retrievers and shepherds, which are known for their ability to learn, work and perform tasks. But Canine Angels doesn’t breed dogs. Instead, we rescue them. Except for some giant breeds whose life span is too short to make service work viable, we are open to training any breed. Pedigree or mix, big or small, we assess the dog’s temperament, health, and willingness to learn, work and obey.
Are females easier to train than males?
Success as a service or therapy dog has nothing to do with gender.
Can you train a puppy?
We prefer to start training dogs for service work at about 1 year old. Canine Angels has made exceptions for some extraordinary pups we rescued from bad situations, but we make faster progress with dogs that are past the unfocused, adorably goofy puppy phase.
Which dogs are not candidates for service work?
We look for animals that are heartworm negative and have complete medical records. We do not train dogs for service work that display any hint of aggression. But we do work with dogs that been unjustly labeled, only because humans have failed to understand their signals, needs and triggers. Some behaviors are easily fixed, while others are deal breakers. The hardest truth we’ve faced is that we can’t save every dog.
I have a service dog from another organization. Will you certify him?
No, sorry. We can not certify any dog trained by another group. We will only put our name on service teams we’ve trained. Please inquire about our training programs at info@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.org.
Can I request a specific breed?
Generally, no. Service dog providers don’t operate like pet shops. With service dogs, we consider myriad factors including the tasks the dog must perform before making a match. We can’t ask a Yorkie to pull a wheelchair, nor can we expect a golden retriever to be a lap dog. There’s an art to the matching process and chemistry that is unique to every team. We will only consider breed-specific requests in the case of allergies.
Does Canine Angels offer private training?
Absolutely. Fees for training helps us fund our mission. We can eliminate most all problematic behaviors such as leash pulling, nipping, barking, digging, chewing, chasing animals, running away, and just about anything else an untrained dog can do to drive you nuts. We start with an in-home visit to evaluate the dog, other pets, triggers, and come up with a plan to suit your needs. Write to Rick@CanineAngelsServiceDogs.org to describe your dog and what needs fixing. We guarantee success.