Semper K9 Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Semper K9 was founded in November 2014. We adopted our first Service Dog candidate ‘Norman’ in February 2015

Semper K9 assists active duty and veterans of the US Armed Forces and their families. Veterans and eligible dependents can apply above.

There is an ‘Apply For A Service Dog’ button at the top of this page. That takes you to the application request form. You will receive a formal application via email within 5-7 days if eligible. Click HERE to apply.

Semper K9 has plenty of volunteer opportunities. To contact our volunteer coordinators, please click HERE to complete our intake form.

If you would like to donate to one of our programs click HERE. Donations can be made via mail to:

Semper K9 Assistance Dogs
PO Box 451
Quantico, VA 22134

Yes,  you can. You can contact us at info@semperk9.org for more information about making an anonymous donation. You can also donate anonymously online, click HERE. Anonymous donations can also be made via mail to:

Semper K9 Assistance Dogs
PO Box 451
Quantico, VA 22134

Click HERE to see our wish list. Items can be mailed to us or scheduled to be dropped off at our facility.

If you have fundraising ideas you can complete our volunteer intake form HERE. Our Community Events Coordinator will work with you to help decide on an event if you do not have anything specific planned.

Getting Involved

A K9 Coach is a person or family that has made the commitment to volunteer their time to raise and train a future service dog for Semper K9. The commitment involves having the dog in your home full time, attending weekly training sessions and introducing the service dog-in-training to many different environments in preparation for transition to their veteran. There is no monetary commitment to being a K9 Coach and no previous dog training experience is required.

Semper K9 is volunteer-based and driven. We are always accepting new K9 coaches to help us train our service dog candidates. A K9 Coach applicant will need to attend 12 weeks of instruction and training classes. As K9 Coach you will be expected to offer a 12-14 month commitment as either a full-time or co-coach for a service dog-in-training. To contact our volunteer coordinators, please click HERE to complete our intake form.

14867 Prestige Dr
Woodbridge VA 22193

We have purchased 33 acres of raw land adjacent to MCB Quantico in Catlett that will be our permanent home as soon construction is complete.

Training of our service dogs-in-training is conducted in 3 main locations:

  • Semper K9 facility
  • K9 Coach’s home
  • Public places around the community

Typically, Semper K9 evaluates over 100 candidates each year. Depending on the availability of candidates we accept 10-15 new dogs into our program each year.

Semper K9 does not have a breeding program. Our mission is to use rescue dogs. Our rescue partner is Operation Paws for Homes, but we will look at other rescues and shelters when trying to find a perfect match for one of our veterans. Occasionally we are provided purebred dogs that are donated to us by members of the community who want to give back to our veterans.

Semper K9’s rescue partner is Operation Paws for Homes. We are always open to accepting dogs from other rescue groups or shelters.

It takes as long as it takes. We aim to completion or titration. Our 2017 graduates all completed training in less than 12 months.

We treat every candidate we evaluate indifferently. The majority of dogs that are in our program are Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds or cross-breeds of those.

Depending on the length of time the service dog is in training, the cost could exceed $20,000. Since we are a non-profit and provide our dogs for free to veterans and their families, we rely on grants, fundraisers, and private donations to cover these costs.

All our Service Dogs are trained and supervised by our Director of K9 Programs, Christopher Baity. Also our founder and Executive Director, Baity is a formally trained Marine Corps working dog handler, trainer, and instructor. The bulk of the training of our service dogs is conducted by our K9 Coaches and their families with Baity’s instruction.

Applying for a Service Dog

While we will evaluate and determine the eligibility for your family pet, all service dog candidates require an intense and strenuous training routine and regiment. Semper K9 offers maintenance training on family/companion pets to determine their candidacy as your Service Dog. Apply to our maintenance training program HERE.

Semper K9 trains and provides Psychiatric (alert) Service Dogs and Mobility Service Dogs.

If you meet the eligibility requirements then you can apply regardless if you are active duty, retired, medically retired, etc. Active-duty personnel are required to have command approval prior to application acceptance.

After reviewing your application, you will be contacted by a Semper K9 representative to schedule a phone or in-person consultation. After working on a training plan you will begin getting your veteran instruction hours and work towards getting your handling hours with one of our dogs in training.

It is always important to be practice proactive communication with your employer. They are expected to allow ‘Reasonable Accommodations’ to all of their employees. During your instructional period after acceptance into the program, you will be advised on submitting an official notification to your employer about your future needs.

Semper K9 provides Mental Health Mobility Service Dogs for PTSD, MST & TBI as well as to veterans who have mobility challenges.

All family dynamics are different with respect to current pets. This will need to be something you address with one of our trainers.

One of the requirements for our program is a letter from your medical team. We need to ensure that having a service dog is part of your treatment plan. Most other organizations require this as well and it could be requested when traveling by plane.

All Semper K9 Service Dogs are required to meet all ADA requirements. This includes but is not limited to AKC Canine Good Citizen, Public Access certification and Task Training. As a founding member organization of the Association of Service Dog Providers for Military Veterans, we also adhere to their national standards.

We encourage anyone eligible for a service dog to apply. However, receiving and working with a service dog ultimately is a personal decision for the individual. Please speak with your medical team about the goals of your treatment plan.

A mental health mobility service dog is a term we use to reference Psychiatric/Mobility Service Dogs. This is a category that many veterans and their service dogs could be grouped into. Usually, these dogs provide a combination of psychiatric alert and mobility tasks.