Support us
Would you like to support our work? Every contribution helps us train and place service dogs for people with physical disabilities. You can support us through a one-time donation, membership, gift certificate, or legacy donation.
Service dogs
STH specially trains retrievers to become ADI-certified service dogs that can assist people with physical disabilities in their daily lives. Through 1.5–2 years of intensive training, health checks, and socialization, the dogs are prepared to perform practical tasks and provide security for their users – with support from STH throughout the dog’s life.
Currently, there are no legal requirements for specific standards in training and placing service dogs. However, international standards exist for service dog work, which providers may choose to follow. STH is an accredited member of the international service dog organization Assistance Dogs International (ADI) and therefore provides ADI-certified service dogs.
Training and placement process
At STH, the process of selecting, training, screening, specially training, matching, and co-training a service dog takes approximately 1.5–2 years. The selection process begins when the puppy is around 8 weeks old and undergoes puppy testing. Suitable puppies are placed with the organization’s volunteer puppy hosts, who, under the expert guidance of STH instructors, socialize and expose the puppy to various environments until it is about 10–12 months old.
At one year of age, the dog undergoes a series of mental tests and health screenings by veterinarians to ensure its suitability. If the dog is deemed suitable, it then begins advanced training with one of our specially trained service dog instructors. The service dog is fully trained at approximately 1.5–2 years old and is then ready to be matched and co-trained with a user – a process that takes several weeks to months. After co-training, the user and service dog undergo an international public access test, which, if passed, grants the user the right to bring the dog into places where dogs are normally not allowed – such as grocery stores, restaurants, shopping centers, buses, trains, planes, and more.
Service dog functions
A service dog can perform a wide range of tasks, such as opening drawers and cabinets, pulling off socks or jackets, pressing light switches, picking up objects from the floor, retrieving various items, barking on command when assistance is needed, and more.
Beyond practical tasks, there are other, often less visible benefits. A service dog brings joy and a sense of security to daily life and can encourage more physical activity, fresh air, and social interaction. It can serve as a small icebreaker, making encounters with others easier and more natural.
A service dog can also foster a sense of responsibility, as it needs to be walked, cared for, and groomed. It can help strengthen the feeling of independence, allowing the user not always to rely on others for assistance.
More than just a helping hand
The practical tasks performed by the service dog are the obvious advantages , but the invisible gain - the creation of a close bond between handler and dog is equally important. The service dog contributes with joy, comfort and friendship, stimulates our sense of responsibility and encourages physical activity and thus becomes a natural link to the surrounding world.
Man's best friend and helper
The partnership between man and dog has long and proud traditions. Today dogs all over the world are trained to function as a replacement for defects of the human body. Dogs work as guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs that alert deaf people or people with reduced hearing, and since the 1970s in the USA and from the 1990'ies i Denmark as service dogs.
STH train service dogs to help people who due to illness or accidents suffers from physical disabilities, such as partial paralyses, sclerosis, polio, progressive muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, spasticity or who has been amputated.
Who can receive a service dog from STH?
STH specially trains service dogs to assist people who, due to illness or injury, have one or more physical disabilities. This can include partial paralysis, multiple sclerosis, polio, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or limb amputation.
Choice of breed
At STH, we use retriever breeds, primarily Labrador and Golden Retrievers. We have chosen these breeds because of their social nature, particular hunting instincts, and strong willingness to cooperate.
Costs and support
A one-time membership fee of DKK 2,500 is required for lifetime membership for the prospective user.
STH provides the service dog to the user free of charge for the dog’s entire life. However, the costs of puppy acquisition, training, food, veterinary care, follow-up training and guidance, etc., are considerably higher, totaling approximately DKK 250,000 over the dog’s lifetime.
STH covers all other expenses and provides ongoing support throughout the dog’s life.
STH’s finances are based on membership fees from the association’s nearly 400 members, sponsorships, private gifts and donations, as well as grants and contributions from foundations and funds, and partial municipal funding for the service dog.
Under Section 112 of the Danish Social Services Act, which covers support for aids, the municipality can, in some cases, approve a service dog as an aid. STH therefore asks applicants to apply for municipal funding for the dog, as the dog may be considered an aid under the Social Services Act. Note that municipalities do not approve applications retroactively. Therefore, you must also contact your municipality when applying for a service dog through STH.
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About STH - Servicehunde til Handicappede
STH is a non-profit organization that has been training service dogs for people with physical disabilities since 1996. We match each dog with the right user to provide security, support, and increased independence in daily life.