Timely alerts. Life-saving friendships. No cost to you.

A dog’s nose detects danger before technology can. Our highly trained scent service dogs offer critical help to people living with Type 1 diabetes, giving peace of mind and companionship.

We provide your dog, online and in-person training, lifetime alumni support, dog food, and preventative veterinary care at no cost.

• We begin with top pedigrees, selecting dogs for excellent health and genetics. From there, our expert instructors invest thousands of hours teaching advanced skills, always using love and positive reinforcement.
• Training starts at just two days old, when gentle human hands teach them that people are their very best friends. As puppies grow, they explore the world, building confidence and adaptability.
• By the time they’re ready to be matched, our service dogs have mastered specialized skills, from alerting to potentially dangerous blood glucose changes to fetching medical supplies and supporting your life with Type 1 diabetes. Placement isn’t the finish line—it’s the beginning of a lifelong partnership.
• These dogs are devoted to your wellbeing and just as eager to be your best friend, ready for play, cuddles, and plenty of belly rubs. With a service dog by your side, you’ll find peace of mind, hope, and the comfort of never being alone.

With service dogs, the most meaningful learning begins at home—right where life happens. By the time your dog comes to you, they’ve already built a solid foundation with training samples and real life scents from our scent sample participants living with type 1 diabetes.. Now, they get to put those skills into practice with their human partner.

In the first few months together, you and your dog refine alert behaviors, practice in everyday situations, and grow into a true partnership. Support includes:

• In-home training with a Dogs Inc instructor
• Weekly check-ins
• Hands-on help when needed
• Lifelong alumni guidance

This unique model ensures your dog is trained for your life, bringing safety, confidence, and peace of mind every day.

At Dogs Inc, we are proud to offer the most robust Alumni Support Program in North America. We provide lifetime follow-up for all service dog graduates, including premium dog food and preventative veterinary care at no cost. And if unexpected veterinary expenses come up, we’re here to help with financial assistance.

The program trains and places service dogs to help people living with Type 1 diabetes. These dogs alert to rapid and dangerous shifts in blood glucose levels, providing safety, independence, and companionship.

We serve U.S. residents age 18 and older with Type 1 diabetes. Applicants must demonstrate medical need, proactive management of their diabetes, and readiness to partner with a service dog. Students must physically be able to care for a large-breed dog and must be able to keep up with a fairly rigorous training schedule.

No. Dogs Inc provides its dogs and training to students free of charge. The school will provide the dog, equipment, and training. Dogs Inc will offer your service dog high-quality food, monthly preventatives, vaccinations, and the annual veterinary wellness visit—free of charge. However, you must have the ability to financially cover your service dog’s other veterinary expenses and general expenses such as treats, toys, crate, dog bed, etc.

A service dog is specially trained to use its incredible sense of smell to recognize changes in blood glucose levels.

• Early Warning: These dogs can smell the chemical changes in the body that happen during rapid  blood sugar changes—often before the person feels any symptoms.
• Life-Saving Alerts: When they smell  a shift in blood sugar, they perform a trained behavior like pawing to signal their guardian to check their blood glucose level.
• Extra Support: Many service dogs also learn to bring medical supplies or to find a nearby person for assistance.
• Peace of Mind: These service dogs give people living with diabetes greater safety, independence, and confidence in daily life.

A service dog isn’t a replacement for management tools, but it can be an invaluable partner in helping someone safely manage Type 1 diabetes.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), service dogs are recognized as service animals with full public access rights. They may accompany you in public places such as restaurants, stores, schools, and transportation, as long as they are under control.

Our dogs learn through a structured training program that uses positive reinforcement. They are introduced to a variety of scent samples and taught to recognize changes in blood sugar. As they progress, the training becomes more challenging, moving from simple exercises to real-life situations. Once a dog can alert reliably and consistently, they are ready to continue their training alongside their human partner at home.

Before graduation, every dog must demonstrate consistent recognition of scent changes in real-world settings—a reliability that continues to strengthen as the bond between the dog and their human partner deepens. Ongoing post-placement support helps ensure lasting performance.

No. A service dog does not replace your medical devices. They work alongside your continuous glucose monitor (CGM), insulin pump, and glucometer and other diabetes management tools. Sometimes dogs may detect blood sugar changes before your technology alerts you, but they are not perfect and should never be your only method of monitoring. Think of them as an added layer of safety and support—not a substitute for medical care or devices.

Most teams refine alert behaviors within three to six months, though every partnership is unique. The key is consistency, patience, and open communication with your instructor.

Our first placements have been filled through our initial interest form. We’re still in the early stages of this program, but as it grows, more opportunities will open. Please check back for updates.

A: Applications are currently limited to Manatee, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Pinellas Counties in Florida.

Our admissions process:

1. The application is received and processed. Documents and authorizations are requested from the applicant. Once received back, questionnaires are sent to the applicant’s provider(s) and references via fax, email, or USPS to begin establishing the applicant’s eligibility and learn about the need(s) for a scent service dog.
2. Once all reports are received and the paper file is complete, a background check is conducted and the applicant’s file goes through its first review.
3. If the initial review is approved, a phone interview is scheduled. Applicants who pass the phone interview then move on to an in-home interview.
4. Applicants who successfully complete the home interview are accepted into the program and notified by phone. From there, they wait to be matched with the right dog by our training team and are invited to begin home training.

Please note that the first phase of the application process can take several months to complete. This time frame depends on many factors, such as the accuracy of contact information provided by the applicant and speed of paperwork submission by providers and references. In the meantime, if you experience a change in your contact or provider information, please advise admissions as soon as possible so that we may keep your information current.

If at any time during the application process, it is determined that the applicant does not qualify for the program, the applicant will be notified via letter.

Once applications open, wait times will vary by paperwork and special requirements, but most applicants can expect six months to a year.

Our program is currently placing service dogs with individuals 18 and older. We are not placing dogs with children at this time, though eligibility may expand as the program grows.

Eligibility: To qualify for, the applicant must:

• Age 18 or older
• Confirmed Type 1 diabetes, at least 1-year post-diagnosis
• Frequent glucose fluctuations
• Stable home environment
• Willingness to maintain glucose logs and regular communication with Dogs Inc
• Successful completion of all screening steps below
• Reside in the United States
• Be able to demonstrate the physical and mental ability to consistently handle, work, and exercise a 50–80 lb service dog
• Be able to provide a safe, loving, healthy, and stable home for a service dog
• Pass a phone and an in-home interview with a service dog instructor
• Be able to maintain a relationship and communication with Dogs Inc for the duration of the dog/guardian partnership

Applicants with any of the following conditions are not eligible for our programs:

• Any applicant who has had attempts or thoughts of self-harm within the past year
• Any applicant currently receiving dialysis treatment
• Unmanaged diabetes
• Unsafe or unstable home environment

With our home-training model, your first week is spent learning together in your own environment, with instructors working alongside you to build routines and reinforce skills. After that, ongoing check-ins, follow-up support, and long-term guidance help your service dog grow into a reliable partner.

Dogs Inc provides lifelong support, including refresher training and alumni resources including high-quality food, monthly preventatives, vaccinations, and the annual veterinary wellness visit—free of charge.

Dogs Inc will always accept a dog back if a placement is unsuccessful. Reassignment may be considered when appropriate.

Scent sample participants with Type 1 diabetes have donated scent samples that help dogs learn to recognize blood sugar changes.

Wonderful! We welcome scent sample participants with type 1 diabetes that live within driving distance of our Palmetto Campus. We’ll provide everything you need, keep your information fully confidential, and guide you through the collection process.  Register below to get started—we’ll be in touch to guide you through the next steps.

Submit Interest Form