Service Dogs Saving Lives

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The Life-Changing Impact of Service Dogs

The numbers behind
the mission.

For people living with PTSD and other mental health disabilities, a properly trained service dog can be life-changing. These extraordinary dogs can open doors to greater independence, safety, confidence, connection, and hope.

48,824
lives lost to suicide in the U.S.
in 2024.
Why this matters

Behind every statistic is someone's father, mother, child, or friend.

Behind every number is a person, a family, and a life that matters. For people living with disabilities, a properly trained service dog can be the difference between life and death.

Yet access can be difficult.

That's why advocacy, education, and fundraising matter.

What Research Tells Us About Service Dogs

What Studies are Finding

Woman wiht Alert Service Dog
PTSD
A 2024 study found that people with PTSD partnered with psychiatric service dogs had significantly lower symptom severity, anxiety, and depression after three months compared with traditional care alone.
Autism
A 2024 study of families of children with autism found that children partnered with service dogs had significantly better sleep behaviors, including sleep initiation and duration, and less sleep anxiety/co-sleeping.
Anxious Man in Doorway
Agoraphobia
Surveys indicate that 70% to 80% of handlers leave their home more frequently and engage in community activities that they previously avoided due to mental health symptoms.
More Than a Trained Dog

A service dog doesn't just perform tasks. A service dog can change what's possible.

Service dogs support people with many different disabilities. Each partnership is unique because each person's needs are different. Yet they share something important: a service dog can help make everyday life safer, more independent, and more possible.

Man on Crutches with Dog
The barrier to access

Why most people can't get one

The evidence is clear. The need is urgent. So why don't more people have service dogs? Because the system makes it nearly impossible for individuals to access them without significant outside support.

$45K
Average cost of a world-class trained psychiatric service dog
Up to $50,000 for highly specialized training
2 yrs
Minimum specialized training required before placement
Some dogs require even longer programs
2–3 yrs
Typical waitlist for a trained psychiatric service dog
People in crisis cannot wait that long
$0
Covered by most insurance companies
The entire cost falls on the individual or their family
Man with white dog on his lap

"James would not still be alive without Nelle."

A life saved

James & Nelle

James is 36 years old. His mother is thankful he is still with us. James has an invisible disability — mental health challenges that have left him suicidal and hospitalized more than once.

And then Nelle saved his life. Nelle is a psychiatric service dog specially trained to take care of James. She senses when he's in distress, interrupts harmful thought patterns, and stays with him through the darkest moments.

"He would not still be alive without her. There are millions of people like James."

James and Nelle are not unique. They are one story among thousands waiting to happen — if the funding exists to make it possible.

Fund a Service Dog
Our mission

Get life-saving service dogs into the hands and homes of people whose lives are at risk.

Lee Atherton's bold goal — and why every action matters toward reaching it.

You've seen the numbers.
Now be part of changing them.

Every dollar brings a trained service dog one step closer to someone who needs it most.

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Monthly updates on dogs placed, people helped, and stories of hope. No spam, ever.

A Note About the Research

Phoenix Rising is committed to sharing accurate, evidence-based information about service dogs and the people whose lives they may impact. The research highlighted on this page draws from peer-reviewed studies and trusted national sources.
Research into service dogs continues to evolve. Individual experiences and outcomes vary, and service dogs are not appropriate for every person or every disability. Phoenix Rising shares research for educational purposes and does not represent service dogs as a cure or replacement for medical or mental health care.