2020 Registration


The 2020 convention was originally scheduled for early April in Rock Hill, South Carolina. After being pushed back to September 11–14 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, as of May 2020 it has been canceled. Please plan to join us for our 2021 convention in mid-May in Rock Hill.


To attend this convention you must:

1) fill out the registration form below,

2) pay the nonrefundable registration fee via PayPal or check the same day you fill out the form (required to validate your registration—no on-site registration), and

3) secure your accommodations.

Important details are below.

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Four women sit at a table in a restaurant with their dogs unobservable under the table.  They all smile and look happy.
“Meeting your online support network and their partners in real life? PRICELESS!” –2019 convention-goer

Registration & fee

The 2020 PSDP convention in Rock Hill, South Carolina is September 11th–14th. The $100 registration fee* is nonrefundable and cannot be paid on site. You can save 25% by registering before 2020, at the $75 rate (also nonrefundable). Registration is limited to 25 people and closes on August 7th.

Pay by PayPal or check. You must submit your payment no later than the day you submit the registration form.

When we receive both your registration form and fee, your registration becomes valid. Non-validated registration form submissions will expire after a reasonably short timeframe.

For PayPal, there is a “Pay Now” button just above the registration form. PayPal accepts credit cards.

If you’re paying by check, mail the check by the day you register. Make checks payable to “PSDP” at 1651 Sandpiper Drive, Rock Hill, SC 29732 with “Convention” in the memo line. Later registrants should keep in mind that the fee must be received no later than August 7th.

*Since the payment is for a convention registration and you stand to gain something of value in return, convention (and testing) fees are not considered tax-deductible donations. Feel free to donate, too, though!

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Three women sit in chairs and share experiences.  The one on the left has short blond hair.  The one in the middle sits on the floor and has a black Labradoodle laying next to her legs.  The one on the right wears a blue butterfly dress and has a Japanese Chin on her lap.
“This convention was exactly what we needed both emotionally and intellectually to give our service dog team the best start. We hope to give back at future conventions!” –2019 convention-goer

Hotel reservations & travel

The officially scheduled parts of the convention are at or near the Hilton Garden Inn in Rock Hill, SC from the evening of September 11th to the evening of September 13th. We have blocked nine rooms for the nights of the 11th, 12th, and 13th; these are King/one-bed and Queen/two-bed rooms. To reserve one of our nine blocked rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn at our discounted rate (until they are all booked, or by a month before otherwise), you can use the link below. Update the default dates to match your stay.

Booking Link: https://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/R/RKHRHGI-PDSP-20200911/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG

Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Rock Hill

Group Name: Psychiatric Service Dog Partners

Group Code: PSDP

Arrival Date: 11-SEP-2020

Departure Date: 14-SEP-2020

Discounted Rate: $119/room per night, plus tax and incidentals
(This room rate includes breakfast for two, even if it doesn’t appear when booking.)

Rock Hill, SC is about a half hour drive from the Charlotte, NC airport. Most people wish they had more time with fellow convention-goers by the end, so arrange to extend your stay if you can, and spend extra time with friends old and new!

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A woman with a turquoise shirt looks down at her Miniature Pinscher service dog wearing a green bandana.  The dog is looking at but walking right by a treat on the ground.  In the background, a woman with a purple shirt looks at her Daschund x Labrador Retriever who is wearing a black service dog vest.
“Both I and my dog had a lot of fun and it’s great to meet new people and dogs at all different levels!” –2019 convention-goer

Dog testing (optional)

Participants will have the option of taking PSDP’s SDIT Manners Evaluation and/or PSDP’s Public Access Test (PAT) at our convention.

The Manners Evaluation is useful in marking progress along the SDIT journey. While it is intended for teams with a dog training to be a service dog, even experienced service dogs aren’t robots and can use the Manners Evaluation for a friendly checkup. The PAT is PSDP’s community milestone to help teams figure out when they might consider themselves as “graduates” from SDIT status to being a service dog team.

A maximum of six teams can sign up for each evaluation/test. If you want to guarantee your slot through early signup with registration, pay the low $20 fee (per evaluation/test, nonrefundable). It’s a good idea to bring $20 in cash if you might want to sign up at the convention for any remaining slots.

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A woman in a grey shirt smiles down on her Doberman Pinscher wearing a black and red vest and green bandana.  The pup is lying on a fleece mat.
“I have never been so far away from home yet felt so at home before. This is the best gift I could ever give myself and my service dog.” –2019 convention-goer

Summary

So to recap, to attend this convention you must:

1) fill out the registration form below,

2) pay the nonrefundable registration fee via PayPal or check the same day you fill out the form (required to validate your registration—no on-site registration), and

3) secure your accommodations.

The registration form and payment process (if PayPal) must each be completed separately for every person in your party.

To keep the convention safe, if we do not yet know you we may touch base with you before the convention. We reserve the right to restrict attendance to those for whom we determine the convention would be appropriate. Please provide active contact info through the registration form so we don’t drop your registration if we can’t get in touch with you (it’s happened)!

When you fill out and submit the registration form, it may go blank—please do not resubmit. If you would like to confirm that your registration has gone through, or if you have any other questions about the convention, feel free to contact Veronica Morris through the contact us form.

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A black Labradoodle's face is mostly obscured by two hands-- his handler's and the friend stranger's.  Each wrist shown has a PSDP bracelet on.  One bracelet is black with green writing, and the other bracelet is yellow with green writing.
“If you have a psychiatric service dog and have never understood the term ‘family of choice’, this convention is what you’re missing. Every year I’m amazed at how just one weekend can touch so many aspects of my life and warm my heart for the coming year!”
2020 price
Optional testing
If 1, which (SDIT-ME or PAT)?