A year ago my family was blessed to be connected with HSD and matched with the most amazing service dog in training. After a week in Florida with Victoria, James, Sam, Tera, Emily, Rich and everyone else at HSD we went home with an amazing start on this service dog journey. He was fully potty trained, knew his leash manners, basic tasks, and skills far beyond what a "normal" 6 month old puppy does. The bond he formed with my daughter is unbreakable, he is always at her side ready to alert if she has a medical episode. He continues to grow and mature in his natural abilities as a service dog, he has genuinely made a life changing impact on her quality of life. He is a healthy and happy boy, passing all of his preliminary OFA testing as well as his annual OFA testing. His vet, having been in the business for many many years has complimented what a beautifully bred dog he is based on his condition, health, and temperament. At home he is a loving and cuddly member of the family, we are truly grateful to have him! read more

Hope Service Dogs - A happy, healthy, well trained pup from Hope Service Dogs! - Pet Training Near Me - Sumterville, Florida

I have a HSD dog that went through the 6mo puppy program, and I can honestly say I do not recommend Hope Service Dogs. He is currently 1.5 years old and I essentially trained him from scratch. When I collected him at the end of the 6mo program, he was unable to heel (could barely loose leash walk) had no handler engagement, and could not perform any of the tasks I had requested. He was not fully housebroken and was EXTREMELY distressed in a crate, which concerned me given he should have had 4 months of crate & potty training by that point... this cost $19,500 and fell far short of what the program promised. I contacted Sam & Victoria regarding my concerns with the lack of performance, as well as breeding and training practices, after new information had come to light regarding multiple dogs bred by them with genetic & chronic issues. Because of my critical message, I was subsequently ignored by Victoria, removed from the private puppy owner group, and lost the promised lifetime support. I messaged them with the intent to listen fully if they had explanations for any of my concerns, but the result has cemented my belief that they are well aware of these issues in their program and are choosing to avoid responsibility and ignore the faults. I had high hopes for this program, but those are long gone. This organization is strongly overpriced for what you get, program descriptions are misleading, the puppies are taken out into situations they are nowhere near ready for and are overwhelmed and set up for failure, and there is an undercurrent of consistent health & behavioral issues among the dogs bred. read more

As someone who was once a supporter of this organization, it has taken me some time to sit down and write this review. Let me begin by fully retracting my previous review, which is still posted on the HSD website. I got my dog, Jojo, from HSD back in September of 2022 after he completed a 6-month board and train program. Jojo's training at HSD left much to be desired, he came home not knowing basic commands like drop it, leave it, place. I initially brushed it off as him adapting to a new environment however over time, it became evident that Jojo's training did not meet the promised standards.Jojo's transition to our home was more challenging than expected. He displayed behavioral issues that were not addressed during his time at HSD. He suffered from pica, a condition where he exhibited a tendency to ingest non-food items, specifically feces and soil. He also was not potty trained when he came home, leading to frequent accidents indoors. We would let Jojo outside every hour, however he would still pee inside the house without showing any sign of having to go outside. Jojo exhibited an unusual fear of his service dog vest, making it difficult for him to comfortably wear the equipment necessary for his role. He would run and hide whenever a harsher tone was used with him (not yelling literally just changing to a more serious tone.) After consulting with a professional trainer and a behaviorist, it was clear that Jojo showed signs of emotional trauma. He appeared to have a fear of corrections and quick-moving hands, which suggested past negative experiences. He also would submissively ;ay on his back and roll over when meeting new people.Jojo also came home sick, and I have medical notes from just two days after our return to Boston, documenting crusted wounds on his belly due to a skin infection. At the time, I didn't fully grasp the gravity of this issue. HSD asserts that none of their dogs suffer from allergies while in their care. This assertion appears false, as Jojo could not have developed a skin infection related to a new environment within a mere 48 hours. So either HSD was not truthful or they failed to notice his infected skin, both of which are deeply concerning.In the midst of all these concerns, there was also a notable lack of comprehensive medical records for Jojo. Upon contacting the previous veterinary clinic he attended while at HSD, I was surprised to learn that his visits there were primarily to obtain vaccination certificates, rather than receiving thorough medical care or addressing his health issues.Additionally, there have been rumors circulating that Jojo's health issues began after he was a victim of targeted poisoning. I want to clarify that this is not true. Jojo had visited the vet 36 times prior to the poisoning incident ( a disgruntled neighbor had left poisoned meat out ) Nearly all of these visits were related to stomach issues, allergies, and tremors he was experiencing. Jojo has since been diagnosed with IBD, epilepsy, and severe allergies, with his vet stating that his case of IBD is one of the worst she's ever seen. HSD has claimed that they asked to speak to my vet and I denied. This is bogus as I was never asked anything of the sorts.I want to emphasize that I'm not alone in my experiences, as I'm in contact with multiple handlers who have faced similar issues. Positive experiences with HSD should not invalidate the experiences of those who have had negative encounters. I urge anyone considering acquiring a dog from this organization to conduct thorough research before making a decision. You can get way better training for extremely less pretty much everywhere else. I also implore you to look at reviews from Dream Dogz and Heart and Soul dog training. As well as reviews on Reddit, yelp and good non profits read more

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A year later, I can't praise Hope Services Dogs and their team enough! My dog came home at 6 months old, completely potty trained, and has only had 3 accidents in the year since. He also had a great understanding of basic obedience, 2 specific tasks, and a strong foundation for the other tasks we requested. Our sweet boy is also obsessed with the team! I'm pretty sure that if given the option between going home with his favorite trainer, James, or me, he would pick James almost every time. We made a return trip a few months after our go-home for boarding and wow! Airbud was excited the second he realized what road he was on. Which I think is truly a testament to how well he was treated in his 6 months with Victoria and the gang! He came back from his week happy, clean, and smarter than ever. Hope Service Dogs has changed my life. I've gained a service dog and friends through them. I've never felt anything less than supported during this journey! I cannot recommend them enough! read more

After expressing my emotions towards HSD, they replied a "solution" onto my google review. They keep deleting my follow up review. How would I get help if I keep getting blocked? This is completely unfair. I spent so much money to not get helped. Here are screenshots of 1. my text never getting delivered because she blocked me and 2. blocking me on both hers and HSD account on instagram. All the bad reviews get taken down, and it is not fair to all the disabled folks in big cities across the country to get completely shunned. I now am $20,000+ short and have an anxious dog that has triggered all of my symptoms and now am having seizures on a weekly basis. My dog has been pottying all over my apartment, she's on anxiety medication, and I've had to carry her out of my apartment to socialize her and take her to potty. For the past 5 months, she has refused to walk anywhere outside my front doorstep. She starts shaking extremely hard. Thank you to HSD for not supporting me during these tough times. they deleted my review on google, and threaten to sue/take your dog away for posting a bad review. attached are some pictures of being blocked, and the puppy contract that states they will take legal action for leaving a bad review. read more

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When I first brought Percy home in January of 2023 he was fully potty trained within a month (an adjustment period). Percy is a psychiatric service dog from the Tangled Litter (Lucy x Kale). He is amazing when he is out working. When he is at home he acts like the dog he is (well actually he acts like a puppy but still). He knows when he's working and he is proud of it. Victoria has been extremely helpful when I have had questions or concerns. I am extremely grateful for the team at HSD. And am glad that I went with them for my first service dog. read more