How We Got Here
From one family's life-changing experience to a nationally recognized nonprofit, Good Dog! Service Canines has grown through heart, hardship, and hope
2025: Responding to a Changing Industry: Launching the Train Your Own Program
2025: RESPONDING TO A CHANGING INDUSTRY
Over the 14 years that we’ve been in the autism service dog industry, we’ve watched it evolve dramatically. When we began in 2011, organizations like ours were emerging across the country—meeting a growing need with passion and purpose. But over the following decade, many of those organizations quietly closed their doors.
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The landscape shifted even more drastically in 2020. Like so many others, the service dog world was deeply impacted by the global pandemic. In the years since, we’ve seen an unprecedented shortage of available service dogs and placements. For the first time ever, even long-standing programs like ours had to close their applications—a heartbreaking decision that left too many families without a path forward.
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For the past 18 months, we’ve been working tirelessly to find a solution. We asked ourselves: How can we serve more families without sacrificing quality? How can we help parents who are ready to take the lead in their child’s service dog journey?
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Today, we’re proud to offer a new answer:
Good Dog’s Train Your Own Program.
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This program empowers families to take an active role in training their own service dog with professional guidance, expert resources, and the support of our experienced team. It’s a scalable, flexible solution that expands access to service dogs for families across the country—and it represents the next chapter in our mission to serve the autism and related disabilities community with compassion, innovation, and heart.
OUR 2020 REBRAND
The New Us: Our 2020 Rebrand
In 2020, we unveiled a new name, logo, and expanded mission—but our heart stayed the same. As we grew, we knew it was time for our outward brand to reflect who we had become: a passionate, professional, and deeply family-oriented organization making a national impact.
We traded in our former name, Good Dog! Autism Companions, for Good Dog! Service Canines to better serve a broader disability community and honor the full scope of our work. The rebrand wasn’t just cosmetic—it was a renewed commitment to the families we serve and the dogs we train.
2100: Founders' Story
Good Dog! was founded by a family whose autistic son experienced a life-changing transformation through his relationship with a service dog. Inspired by that journey, the Sylvester family dedicated themselves to helping other children and families experience the same life-changing support. What began as a homegrown effort became a thriving nonprofit committed to compassionate, ethical, and accessible service dog placements.