Bergin College of Canine Studies

What Bergin College of Canine Studies does

Bergin College of Canine Studies is a private, 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution founded in 1991 by Dr. Bonnie Bergin, the inventor of the service dog concept in 1975. The organization is the only college in the world offering an Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education, a hybrid degree combining online coursework with hands-on training at its 14-acre Canyonville, Oregon campus (relocated from Penngrove, California in 2024). Core offerings include the Associate degree, a seven-week certificate-based Service Dog Training Seminar, and supporting non-credit programs such as the Puppy Petting volunteer program and the Puppy Parent community-raising program. The institution's proprietary breeding program produces 4–5 litters of Golden and Labrador Retrievers annually, and trained service dogs are placed with individuals (predominantly veterans with PTSD and people with physical disabilities) via a ~$25,000 sponsorship model that subsidizes the full cost of training and the two-week client training course.

The college's underlying technology is a non-aversive dog training methodology combining canine cognition research, classical and operant conditioning, verbal markers, luring, targeting, and insight learning, with training beginning at 3 weeks of age. The methodology is supported by a proprietary breeding program and faculty research streams including canine cognition (Carley Faughn, PhD), genetics (Monika Lipinski, PhD), and disability law (Adam Brown, JD). Revenue is generated through tuition (a single price tier for in-state, out-of-state, and international students), service dog team sponsorships, planned giving via the Legacy Foundation, the Amazon Wish List in-kind donation program, and charitable certification through America's Best Charities.

The institution is governed by a five-member Board of Trustees and operated by a small executive team led by Dr. Bergin (President), Steven Koh (Chief Academic Officer), and Phillip Jones (Interim Chief Operating Officer). The college is a member of Assistance Dogs International, holds SEVP authorization to enroll international students, and is authorized by the State of Oregon to confer degrees — but is explicitly NOT accredited by a US Department of Education-recognized agency. Strategic partnerships include Paws for Purple Hearts (veteran services), Shriner's Hospital Sacramento, Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, and Assistance Dogs of the West (puppy supply pipeline).

Name

Bergin College of Canine Studies

Legal name

Bergin College of Canine Studies

Website

https://berginu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bergin College of Canine Studies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution founded in 1991 that offers the only Associate degree in Assistance Dog Education, combining online coursework with hands-on training at its Oregon campus to train and place service dogs for veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Canine Education and Service Dog Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Medicine Universities (EDAHAGAG)

Keywords

• Assistance dog education
• Service dog training
• Canine studies degree
• Service dog placement
• Canine cognition research

Headquarters

HQ city

Penngrove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Revenue from degree programs and certificate programs including Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education and Service Dog Training Seminar. Tuition is the same for in-state, out-of-state, and international students.
2. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations (Tax ID 68-0259118) certified by America's Best Charities. Multiple donation forms including direct gifts, pledges, online gifts, vehicle donations, workplace contributions, and matching gifts.
3. Service Dog Sponsorships: Service dog team sponsorship donations covering the approximately $25,000 cost to raise, train, and partner a service dog with a client, including the two-week client-training course.
4. Planned Giving: Bequests left by donors who name the endowed fund in their wills. The Legacy Foundation of Bergin College invites donors to support advancing the human-canine partnership through research and education.
5. Wish List Donations: In-kind donations including puppy supplies, dog toys, comfort items, dog crates, dog-related books, and magazine subscriptions via Amazon Wish List.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bergin College of Canine Studies delivers post-secondary education in assistance dog training through the Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education (a hybrid degree combining online coursework with on-campus hands-on training) and the seven-week Service Dog Training Seminar. The college also runs a service and facility dog placement program that produces trained dogs for individuals with physical disabilities, veterans with PTSD, and healthcare/education settings. All training uses non-aversive, positive-reinforcement methods developed from canine cognition research.

Product overview

Bergin College of Canine Studies is an educational institution offering degree and certificate programs focused on assistance dog education and training. The core offering is the Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education, a hybrid degree combining online learning through Google's G Suite for Education with hands-on, onsite training at their 14-acre Canyonville, Oregon campus. Supporting programs include the Service Dog Training Seminar (a seven-week vocational certificate), the Puppy Petting Program (volunteer socialization), the Puppy Parent Program (community-based puppy raising), and direct Service Dog Placement services for individuals with disabilities and veterans. The institution is dedicated solely to canine education, using non-aversive training methods and small class sizes with experienced instructors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate of Science in Assistance Dog Education A hybrid degree program combining online coursework via Google Workspace with hands-on, on-site training at the Canyonville, Oregon campus. Students learn dog handling, non-aversive training techniques, disability studies, and assistance dog placement, with assigned dogs taken home evenings and weekends as part of coursework. Tuition is identical for in-state, out-of-state, and international students; applications are accepted only for the Fall semester.
• Service Dog Training Seminar A seven-week vocational certificate course introducing theories and applied practices in selection, training, matching, placement, and follow-up of service dogs with clients who have mobility and psychological limitations. The seminar covers canine health care, disability understanding, and service dog role applications.
• Service Dog Placement Program Trains and places service dogs for people with physical disabilities and military veterans with PTSD, including a two-week client-training course that teaches techniques for partnering with a service dog. Also places facility dogs in healthcare and education settings such as hospitals, schools, and Special Olympics programs. Approximately $25,000 in sponsorship funds the raising, training, and pairing of each dog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 service and social/therapy teams graduated since 1991
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shriner's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBergin College partnered with Shriner's Hospital in Sacramento, California to place service dogs. An example is Chrissy the black Labrador Retriever being placed with Zak Baldwin through this partnership.
• Assistance Dogs of the WestminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAssistance Dogs of the West purchased three pups from Bergin College to train for their program. Bergin College provides puppies from their breeding program to partner organizations.
• San Francisco SPCA Hearing Dog ProgramminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDog Vanna graduated from the San Francisco SPCA Hearing Dog Program after originating from Bergin College's breeding program.
• Paws for Purple HeartscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBergin College's Paws for Purple Hearts project builds on the tradition of soldiers assisting other soldiers. The project connects veterans with service dogs trained using Bergin methodologies.
• America's Best CharitiescoreOthersBergin College is certified by America's Best Charities, enabling tax-deductible donations and participation in workplace giving programs.
• Assistance Dogs InternationalcoreOthersBergin College of Canine Studies Service Dog Program is a member of Assistance Dogs International, Inc., an international coalition of assistance dog organizations.
• Sonoma County Sheriff's OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and Bergin University collaborated to create an extended service dog training program, with a video produced in February 2017 documenting the collaboration.
• National Service Animals MemorialminorOthersDr. Bonnie Bergin was honored at the National Service Animals Memorial in March 2024, with a video feature on her 40+ years of experience.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• K9s For Warriors: Largest nonprofit specifically training service dogs for veterans with PTSD/TBI. Directly competes with Bergin's Paws for Purple Hearts program for the same veteran-donor and grant pools (e.g., VA-aligned funding).
• NEADS (National Education for Assistance Dog Services): Nonprofit that trains service dogs for veterans, individuals with disabilities, and children with autism. Comparable in mission, donor-funded model, and ADI membership; competes for similar donor and client pipelines.
• Paws With A Cause: National nonprofit that trains and places service dogs for people with disabilities and trains dogs for facility/therapy work. Comparable in client segments served (physical disabilities, veterans) and donor-funded placement model, and overlapping with Bergin in ADI membership.
• Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs: Nonprofit training medical service dogs (seizure alert, diabetic alert, mobility, PTSD). Comparable client segments, breeding/training pipeline, and donor-funded placement economics.
• Assistance Dogs of the West: Smaller ADI-member nonprofit that has purchased puppies directly from Bergin's breeding program, indicating operational overlap and potential channel-partner relationship. Comparable mission and training methodology.
• 4 Paws for Ability: Nonprofit training service dogs for children with disabilities and veterans; comparable client segments and donor-funded placement economics. Operates its own breeding program similar to Bergin's.
• Service Dogs Inc. Texas-based nonprofit training service dogs for mobility assistance and PTSD. Comparable mission scope, donor-funded placement model, and ADI membership profile.

Broad incumbents

• Southeastern Guide Dogs: Established guide and service dog school with its own breeding program and veterinary hospital. Overlaps with Bergin in non-aversive training philosophy and donor-funded placement, but serves a different geographic region at larger scale.
• Canine Companions for Independence: The largest U.S. service dog nonprofit, also founded by Dr. Bonnie Bergin in 1975 before she left to start Bergin College. Directly comparable mission of training and placing assistance dogs, but at vastly larger scale with multiple regional training centers and a fully donor-funded client model.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind: Established nonprofit training guide and service dogs with multiple campuses across the western U.S. Overlaps with Bergin in breeding, non-aversive training philosophy, and donor-funded client placement, but at significantly larger operational scale and broader mission scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bergincollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/BerginU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bergin-university-of-canine-studies

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bergin College of Canine Studies