Mission Statement

STAR is a community-based nonprofit organization (510c3) which trains and certifies dogs and their handlers to provide therapeutic support and assistance to community members in diverse settings.

Values

Vision

STAR strives to improve self-sufficiency and quality of life with support, compassion and dignity.​

​"STAR-Service and Therapy Animals of Rockbridge, Inc. recently stopped by the Victim Assistance Program for a visit. We were delighted to meet Lila Mae and speak with her handler about STAR!"

• Director, Rockbridge/Lexington Victim Witness Assistance Program

STAR ensures the best quality of service while also providing:

• Compassion – by valuing human dignity at all times;
• Respect – by always treating others the way we want to be treated;
• Reliability – by following through on our commitment to improving quality of life for displaced dogs and disabled persons;
• Safety – by ensuring each placement is the best fit for both the dog and the person; and
• Trust – by doing what we say we’re going to do.

​​How Do Dogs Become Certified? 

​Certified Therapy Dogs and their handlers are trained and certified based on nationally-established performance standards.  This training process typically requires 3-4 months for the dog and handler, although sometimes longer based on prior training and individual needs.  Once certified, dogs and their handlers can provide support to many people in a variety of settings.

Service Dogs require extensive training before they can be deemed a Service Dog.  This process is diagnosis-specific and requires 12-24 months of training.  Once completed with training STAR will work with community resources to support the service dog and their handler with ongoing training needs.
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