Annually the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans (ASDPMV) hosts a conference specifically designed for nonprofit service dog providers. Semper K9 is a founding partner member of the ASDPMV and our co-founder, Amanda Baity, is the Conference Committee Chair.

In 2022 there were close to 200 attendees, the largest amount present to date. In 2017 the inaugural National Service Dog Conference took place in Arlington, Virginia and for 2023 we are taking it back to the DC area July 19-21 at the Ritz Carlton Pentagon City.

Attending a conference can get very costly, not only are there financial costs but the time away from your organization is also something to consider. One thing that we hear from the feedback surveys is that it is all worth it. The content shared is targeted at nonprofit organizations that provide service dogs to disabled US veterans. However, we see lots of for-profit dog trainers, foundations who want to connect with nonprofits for funding opportunities, businesses that want to learn more about service dogs, people who want to network with service dog providers & veteran service organizations wanting to support the nonprofits who are providing service dogs to the veterans they serve.

Here are our top 5 reasons to attend.
1) Learning opportunities from best practices, to how to build a better organization and advocate for the veterans we serve.
2) Networking with professionals from across the country, not just Association members.
3) Gaining insight into the Association and hopefully considering the value of membership.
4) Enjoying speakers from different areas that impact individual organizations and veterans we work with.
5) Building relationships with Association members who may be able to mentor or guide newer organizations.
6) New friendships.

 

Find out more about the 2023 National Service Dogs for Veterans Conference at www.servicedogs4vets.org/conference.