Professionally trained PTSD service dogs from Northwest Battle Buddies help their Veteran handlers live a more independent life, even as they battle PTSD. But PTSD service dogs that are trained to perform specific tasks (like interrupt a panic attack, redirect a flashback, and perform pressure therapy) have a high price tag.
At NWBB, it costs a total of $35,000 to raise a dog from a puppy to a trained service dog working with a Veteran handler.
Scroll down for the cost breakdowns
Thanks to generous donations, NWBB provides PTSD service dogs at no cost to the Veteran, so they only have to cover their own room and board during a 5-week handler instruction training.
Make a recurring monthly contribution to support our work with Operation Never Quit to help cover the ongoing expenses of raising and training PTSD service dogs.
Let’s see where your donation dollars go as we break down how much a PTSD service dog really costs.
Puppy Foster Program: $2,500
Foster puppies from Northwest Battle Buddies spend up to 12 months with volunteer foster families. Fosters donate their time to follow NWBB’s vaccination schedule and foster guidelines.
Even with all the time and money that our dedicated volunteers put in, each puppy in the foster program costs $2,500 to get to the next phase of training. Where does that cost come from?
- Acquisitions: Getting the dog from the breeder, or managing the breeding program comes to $1,000 per dog.
- Training: Training starts early. During the fostering phase, this costs $500 per puppy.
- Food & Nutrition: This costs $400 per puppy.
- Program Administration: The behind-the-scenes admin costs of running the program works out to $325 per puppy.
- Transport: Going to and from appointments and getting to and from the foster family averages $150 per puppy.
- Materials & Supplies: From kennels and leashes to grooming tools and more, this category runs $120 per puppy.
And this is just the start. Once a puppy is old enough, they leave their foster families and begin intensive training in the Canine Training Program.
Canine Training Program: $22,500
Once they’re ready, Northwest Battle Buddies service dogs spend five months in an intensive training program learning how to support their future Veteran handlers. Training comes out to $8,600 for each dog in the Canine Program. This is a high cost for good reason, since they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to work with a Veteran.
In the first two months, PTSD service dogs training with Northwest Battle Buddies cover the basics:
- Learning the commands “Heel,” “Walk,” and “Sit” calmly under distraction while at the handler’s side, both on and off leash.
- Following “Down” and staying in place for up to one hour.
- Understanding “Here” to come to their handler off-leash under distraction.
- Learning to “Load” on command into a vehicle.
- Knowing “Wait” on command with the vehicle door open until asked to exit the vehicle with “Easy.”
- Ignoring all people food, even when it’s right in front of their face.
- Having a respectful and calm demeanor around people.
In months three to five, the dogs learn tasks specific to their future handler’s needs, like:
- Waking their Veteran from nightmares.
- Signaling and interrupting anxiety attacks.
- Redirecting flashbacks.
- Alterting on adrenaline.
- Acting as a social barrier in public.
- Providing a constant feeling of safety.
- Performing pressure therapy.
All of this training takes place in multiple public locations to simulate the situations they’re likely to encounter with their handler. This could be a train station, the grocery store, airport security, movie theaters, city buses, and more.
The high cost of intensive training is one reason that donations are essential to keeping our programs running smoothly. Make a contribution to support putting PTSD service dogs in the hands of the American Heroes who need them.
During training, other expenses add up too:
- Boarding: Another high cost in the training process, boarding works out to an average $8,600 for the five months a dog is in training.
- Program Administration: With expenses behind the scenes like training and recruiting staff, scheduling, accounting, budgeting, and more, program administration costs an average of $2,200 per dog throughout the Canine Program.
- Materials & Supplies: Kennels, grooming tools, harnesses, and other materials can come out to $1,600 per dog.
- Health & Wellness: Vet visits and other costs add up to $900.
- Food & Nutrition: During training, this can cost about $600 per dog.
From puppyhood to completing their training program, each dog costs about $25,000. After training wraps up, they’re paired with their Veteran handler and the work continues.
Veteran Training Program: $10,000
Veteran recipients complete a five-week handler-instruction program with their PTSD service dog. During the five weeks, the Veteran and their PTSD service dog will:
- Be assessed and paired based on lifestyle and personality factors.
- Learn basic training and handling skills.
- Work together with on- and off-leash skills in a simulated public environment at the training center.
- Spend overnights together to integrate the PTSD service dog into the Veteran’s daily life.
- Do public access training in the field, experiencing real-life scenarios in malls, restaurants, grocery stores, and other public places.
After training concludes, Northwest Battle Buddies provides a lifetime of follow-up and team support to Veterans and their PTSD service dogs, including annual recertification and any additional training they need.
The cost per Veteran handler averages about $10,000 per Veteran. Let’s break down where that number comes from.
- Lodging: The Veteran needs a dog-friendly place to stay during the five-week training, which comes out to about $5,250.
- Per Diem: Daily expenses for things like food during the training come out to about $2,100.
- Training: Trainers working with the PTSD service dogs and their handlers during this phase, and other associated costs, comes to an estimated $1,450 per person.
- Program Administration: The behind-the-scenes of running the program comes with a cost too, which breaks down to about $1,000.
- Travel: Travel like visiting different locations during public access training averages about $200 per Veteran.
All of these expenses add up to an estimated cost of $35,000 per PTSD service dog. While training is expensive, these PTSD service dogs make a priceless difference in the lives of their Veteran handlers. Help support our American Heroes and the cost of a PTSD service dog, and pledge a monthly donation to Northwest Battle Buddies with Operation Never Quit.
