2019 Convention

April 5–8, 2019 in Rock Hill, South Carolina (registration closed March 4th)

Two service dog handlers smile at the camera as the one in a wheelchair tosses her long hair back with her hand.

Let your hair down and make friends at the PSDP Convention!

 

 

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Our 2019 convention will be among the friendly faces of Rock Hill, South Carolina! Rock Hill is just over the Carolina border from the Charlotte, NC Airport, which is surprisingly one of the busiest in the world (cheaper flights—but book early!). The convention will take place sandwiching the first weekend in April.

We’ll return to the lovely lodging of the Hilton Garden Inn for our convention, within walking distance of a breadth of eateries, a shopping center, and a large park. Plan to arrive by Friday, April 5th for the welcome meeting that night (attendance expected) and to leave no earlier than Monday, April 8th (officially scheduled activities run into Sunday night).

Registration

Registration closed on March 4th. Details are on the 2019 Convention Registration page.

Scholarship applications were due January 1st.

Info packet

Our info packet has much of what you want to know about the convention, plus the policies you need to know about if you’re considering joining us.

The 2019 Convention Info Packet PDF is linked in this sentence.

What’s it like? Are there pictures?

PSDP conventions are times to network with service dog handlers through workshops, training, support, and a lot of fun! For a taste of what they’re like, enjoy the quotations below and the 2019 convention pictures and videos. Find more on the pages of previous conventions!

Sponsors

We’re accepting convention sponsors for future conventions. Come on board—it’s rewarding and easy!

Gold sponsor:

Seated at a table among other formal tables, a bearded man in a suit and tie smiles with also-smiling young woman in red shirt and glasses holding a drink.

In honor of the Efthimiou family

Bronze sponsors:

Banfield Pet Hospital logo with orange cross containing dog and cat silhouettes"The Bark" logo. Orange text:, large on top: "BARk". Gray text underneath: "the dog culture magazine".CalmWave Productions logo: all within a circle, purple script name rounded on top of beach wave picture with white wave lines edited into the sand.Logo with black background and aqua silhouette of a person standing next to a large dog. Text: Holden Scott's Dog Gear & Design @holdenscottsdoggear #holdenscottsdoggearPhoto: Margie Cantwell & Jack (Jack Russell Terrier)  Logo with the head of a large white dog with black fur over its eye and ear, with turquoise-filled text that says "Pup'parel".  A little gray in the face, a chocolate Lab sits and looks up slightly to the right of the camera, attention captured no doubt by a human. The Lab wears a brown collar with a red tag silencer.UPS logo, which is a brown shield with a gold or bronze border and the letters "ups" in lowercase in the same color.VCA Animal Hospital navy blue logo, with "VCA" in capital letters and a map of the contiguous US attached to the right of the "A".A wispily stylized picture of a dark Lab sitting next to a German Shepherd that is lying down with perked ears, both facing toward the camera on grass.

 

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Banfield Pet Hospital (both Rohnert Park & Santa Rosa, CA), The Bark magazine, CalmWave Productions, Holden Scott Dog Gear, Margie Cantwell, Pup’parel, In memory of Ru, The UPS Store (Fulton Road, Santa Rosa, CA), VCA Westside Animal Hospital (Santa Rosa, CA), What the Fluff

A group of service dog users is lined up and smiling, holding a small banner for the 2018 PSDP Convention.

Join us to laugh and learn!

 

 

Our 2018 convention was rated 4.815 / 5 overall by convention-goers! They had the following to pass along to those considering joining us at future conventions:

Being around friends who know what it is like to be me is the best part of the conventions.

I loved that I got help with training my dog for catatonia response! That was AWESOME!!! Training was great, the community of teams is great, and I was excited to find out about more resources in my area. I loved role playing to learn to deal with obnoxious strangers!

The PSDP convention is the most meaningful part of my year. The friends, the learning, the laughing—and sometimes, the crying—there is no experience in the world where I feel more at one with the people (and dogs!) around me.

PSDP and the yearly convention are the highlight of my year. Mixing with people who understand me and PSDs is a special feeling I cannot describe.

When I’m at the PSDP Convention, I feel at home in a way I never get to in my regular life. The people there understand and accept me, and I always leave more confident and empowered. It inspires me to be a better service dog handler and reminds me that I have a support network. I wish I could go every year!