Saint Francis Service Dogs

08/21/2025

We absolutely love seeing all the joy Saint Francis Facility Dog Hank brings to the residents of Brandon Oaks!

08/08/2025

A little behind the scenes this Thursday…it’s transport day! On Mondays and Thursdays, we are usually taking pups to and from Bland Correctional Center where many of our puppies begin their journeys to become Saint Francis Service Dogs in our Prison Pup Program! We get help from some of our awesome volunteers who make the drive with this precious cargo. Today, little Polar was headed back to be reunited with his inmate Puppy Raiser and continuing working hard to learn everything he needs to know to be a life-changing partner for someone who needs him!

08/07/2025

Check out Ravioli’s new shoes! A big part of training for our service dogs-to-be is exposing them to all sorts of new things! Our dogs in Advanced Training will master more than 40 specialized tasks and commands, but on top of that, our trainers spend a lot of time making sure our dogs can easily adapt to new environments, people, and things.

Ravi loved his new kicks!

08/04/2025

Happy International Assistance Dog Week! This week, we are taking a little extra time to recognize and honor the work these incredible dogs do to empower and transform the lives of the people they serve. To celebrate, we want to give you a closer look at what happens here at Saint Francis Service Dogs to make these life-changing partnerships possible.

Today, several of our active teams, including Rick and his Saint Francis Service Dog Lion, made the trip to Roanoke for their annual re-certification. During this yearly check-in, we ensure that each Partner Team is still successfully working together at home and in public. It is just one of the many ways we offer our support and guidance to all our partners and their service dogs for the lifetime of their partnerships.

07/24/2025

Do you want to join the Saint Francis Service Dogs team? We are currently hiring a Grant Writer! Head to www.saintfrancisdogs.org/employment for more information.

07/21/2025

Ready to kick off another great week of training to become Saint Francis Service Dogs!

07/04/2025

Happy 4th of July from Saint Francis Service Dogs!

06/20/2025

Spending a little time with F***y on this Friday! This little one just started her journey to become a Saint Francis Service Dog a month ago. She is doing such a great job learning and bringing a whole lot of smiles to the faces of everyone she meets!
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06/14/2025

Checking in with our Golden boys, Prince and Oso! These sweet brothers are being puppy raised in our Prison Pup Program and have already grown and learned so much since starting their journeys to become Saint Francis Service Dogs just two months ago!

06/05/2025

Please join us for the opening reception of the VTCSOM Summer Art Exhibit – The Anatomy of Her Healing. Thursday, June 5 at 5:30 pm – VCSOM, 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke. A portion of the sales from featured artist Hali Donithan’s work will be donated to Saint Francis Service Dogs.

"The Anatomy of Her Healing' exhibition spotlights women’s resilience, creativity, and transformation"

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine invites the public to experience “The Anatomy of Her Healing,” a bold new art exhibition opening Thursday, June 5, with a public reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Riverside 2 Building at 2 Riverside Circle in Roanoke.

The exhibit, on display through August, features work by women artists who use painting, photography, and mixed media to explore healing, trauma, and empowerment. Through deeply personal and expressive pieces, the artists offer insight into the strength found in vulnerability — and the power of creativity as a path to transformation.

Opening Night Celebration
The June 5 reception is free and open to all. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet featured artist Hali Donithan and several invited artists whose work contributes to the exhibit’s compelling visual narrative. Light refreshments will be provided.

05/26/2025

Happy Memorial Day from Saint Francis Service Dogs!

05/24/2025

We wanted to take just one more moment to say another big THANK YOU to our Title Sponsors for Barks 'n Rec 2025...Pete and Kathleen Milward. Thank you for helping us make our 5th Annual Barks 'n Rec our most successful yet. Through your generous support of Saint Francis Service Dogs, you are changing the lives of the people we serve.

Pete Milward also went above and beyond this year by participating in Barks 'n Rec as one of our crowdfunders. Pete raised over $4,000 by pledging to do what he loves during Barks 'n Rec week...walking with his beloved dog, Midnight! We are pleased to announce that Pete is the winner of this year's Most Funds Raised prize, a one year subscription to Bark Box. We know Midnight will love it!

Thank you Pete and Kathleen for being valued members of the Saint Francis Family!