Autism & sensory needs
For children and adults who experience overwhelm, wandering, or difficulty regulating in public, school, and family life.
Apply · Service Dog Partners
This is where independence begins.
Applying for a service dog is a big step, and you should never have to take it alone. Before you fill out a single field, here is exactly who we serve, what a service dog can do, what happens after you apply, and how long each step takes. Read at your own pace. We will be here when you are ready.
No cost to apply · Confidential · English & Español · Puerto Rico
No cost to apply
There is no application fee, and no family is ever turned away for financial reasons. Placement costs are covered by donors, not by you.
Private and confidential
Medical and personal details you share stay with our placement team. They are never published, sold, or shared without your written permission.
In your language
The full process — application, interviews, training, and follow-up — is available in English and Spanish, in person and by phone.
A real person answers
If a question is hard to answer in writing, call or text us at 787-233-5200 and we will complete the application with you.
Who We Serve
You do not have to prove you are worthy of help
We work with children, teens, veterans, and adults across Puerto Rico who live with a disability that affects daily life, safety, or independence. If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, apply anyway — that is what the review is for.
PTSD & psychiatric disabilities
For veterans, first responders, and civilians living with trauma responses, panic, hypervigilance, or nightmares.
Mobility challenges
For people who need bracing, retrieval, balance support, or help with the everyday tasks that mobility limits make exhausting.
Seizure & epilepsy support
For people who need response support during and after seizures, and a household that feels less afraid of what may happen alone.
Diabetes & medical alert needs
For people managing conditions where early warning and a reliable response routine change what daily life feels like.
Other qualifying conditions
Disability is broad and personal. If a trained dog could meaningfully increase safety or independence for you, we want to hear from you.
Caribbean Canine Academy does not discriminate on the basis of disability, diagnosis, age, income, race, national origin, gender, or family structure. Applying does not obligate you to anything.
What a Service Dog Does
A working partner, trained for your daily life
A service dog is not a pet with a vest. Each dog is trained over 18 to 24 months for the specific tasks their partner needs, and then the family is trained alongside the dog until the two of you work as one team.
- Interrupting escalation, panic, or self-injury before it takes over
- Deep pressure therapy to calm the nervous system during overwhelm
- Tethering and anchoring to prevent wandering and keep a child safe
- Retrieving medication, phones, and dropped items
- Bracing, balance, and mobility assistance around the home and in public
- Response and grounding support during and after a medical episode
- Guiding a handler to an exit, a caregiver, or a safe, quiet space
- Steady public-access behavior at school, at work, and in the community
What Happens After You Apply
Every step, explained before you take it
No part of this process is a mystery, and nothing happens without your consent. Here is the path from your first form to the day your dog comes home.
- 1
You submit the application
A short form about the applicant, daily challenges, the home environment, and the kind of support you are hoping for. You can save it, call us for help, or complete it in Spanish.
About 20–30 minutes
- 2
We confirm we received it
You receive a confirmation, a named contact, and a realistic explanation of where things stand — including current waitlist length. You will never be left wondering.
Within 5 business days
- 3
Conversation and documentation
A private conversation with our placement team, plus documentation from a physician, therapist, or specialist confirming the disability and the tasks that would help most.
2–6 weeks
- 4
Matching
Matching is done by temperament and need, not by order of arrival. We wait for the right dog for the right person, because the wrong match fails the family and the dog.
Depends on the cohort
- 5
Team training and placement
You train alongside your dog until handling, public access, and daily routines are solid at home, at school, and in the community. Then the dog goes home with you.
Multi-week program
- 6
Lifetime follow-up
Coaching, refreshers, and support for the entire working life of the dog. A placement is the start of a relationship with us, not the end of one.
Ongoing, at no cost
Before You Begin
What is helpful to have nearby
None of this is required to start. If you do not have something yet, apply anyway and we will help you gather it.
Prefer to talk first? Call or text 787-233-5200, or email caribbeancanineacademy@gmail.com and we will walk through it with you.
The applicant's name, age, and municipality in Puerto Rico
A short description of the diagnosis or condition, in your own words
The daily moments that are hardest — school, sleep, transitions, outings
Tasks you hope a dog could help with
Contact information for a physician, therapist, or specialist
Who lives in the home, including other pets
Whether anyone in the home has a dog allergy
A phone number and email where we can reach you
Honest Expectations
What we promise, and what we ask
This takes time
A service dog takes 18 to 24 months to train, and our pilot cohort is ten dogs. Applying places you in a real, transparent queue — not an instant approval.
A dog is not a cure
A trained dog can dramatically increase safety, regulation, and independence. It does not replace therapy, medication, or medical care, and we will never claim otherwise.
It is a partnership
Your family provides daily care, follow-through on training, and veterinary attention. We provide the dog, the training, the coaching, and the support for life.
“Nobody should have to explain their disability twice to be treated with dignity. Tell us once, and let us do the rest.”
Cheryl DeLoach · Founder, Caribbean Canine Academy
Questions
Answers before you apply
Need help applying? Reach us directly:
caribbeancanineacademy@gmail.com
787-233-5200
Begin
Take the first step. We will walk the rest with you.
The application takes about twenty to thirty minutes, costs nothing, and commits you to nothing. It simply tells us who you are and how a trained dog might change your daily life.
Caribbean Canine Academy is a Puerto Rico nonprofit recognized under Hacienda Section 1101.01 and a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization recognized by the IRS. Submitting an application does not guarantee placement. All placements are subject to evaluation, documentation, matching, and dog availability.