So, I saw my doctor recently, and I was telling about my dreams, and my depression, and knee and back problems, and answering all of these other questions that he had, and he told me he would be right back. All right, I thought, no big deal. 

He came back with a note saying that he thinks I would benefit both mentally and physically from having a service animal. It doesn't need to be specially trained or anything, he just thinks that I would do better having a friend at my side most of the time, and having somebody to work out with. 

Only thing is, I can't find any information on how to get a dog certified. I already know that I am going to get a dog from the shelter that is happy, but not too crazy, and likes to play. I want a dog that gets big, but not huge. ( So like... the size of a Golden Retriever, but not necessarily a Golden Retriever ) 

Does anybody know anything about how to go about getting a dog certified, and how much it costs, and all that other good stuff? Any help here would be greatly appreciated. 

thing1 : I googled it really quick and I found this site that lists many organizations that are involved in dog certification. AKC Therapy Dog™ - Therapy Dog Training Programs & Organizations Then I clicked onto pet partners (on that page) and then service animals on the page that came up Service Dog Resources - Pet Partners Upon further investigation, i found the faq's section and found the question of how much does it cost. Of course, they gave me a generic answer that really was no answer. They said that there is a fee for the instruction, evaluation, and certification. Also, your pet (who would be getting an upgrade in status) would need to be cleared with the vet. I'll keep looking though. Sorry I was not that much help.