Registration closes April 3rd, 2025 for the 2025 peer convention
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.
![A woman in a wheelchair and a man pose with a Golden Retriever service dog.](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychdogpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A7407820-s.jpg?resize=993%2C662&ssl=1)
Registration and fee
The 2025 peer convention in Long Beach, California is May 3rd-5th. The $225 registration fee* is nonrefundable and cannot be paid on site. You can save $25 by registering by January 1st, at the $200 rate (also nonrefundable). Registration is limited to 25 people and closes on April 3rd.
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 are payment buttons just above the registration form. PayPal accepts credit cards and other forms of payment.
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 April 3rd.
*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!
![Two wheelchair user service dog teams are near a taxidermal display of bears, with one team looking at the bears in the background while the other has her dog lying in front of the bears so she can take a picture.](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychdogpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A7400623-s.jpg?resize=894%2C596&ssl=1)
Hotel reservations and travel
The officially scheduled parts of the peer convention are at or near the Courtyard by Marriott Long Beach Airport in Long Beach, California from the morning of May 3rd to the evening of May 4th. There is an optional daytime tourist outing to Seal Beach on May 5th. We have blocked 10 rooms for the 3rd and 4th, with the option of getting our discounted rate for three nights on either side (subject to availability); these are King/one-bed and Queen/two-bed rooms.
Most people will want to reserve the blocked dates of May 3rd and 4th, as well as 1–3 days on either side of this. To do this, or to get an accessible room, call Kerri at the hotel at 562-354-6818.
To reserve one of our blocked rooms for only May 3rd and 4th at our discounted rate (until they are all booked, or by April 5th otherwise), you can use the booking link: https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1722277465583&key=GRP&app=resvlink
Discounted rate: $199/room per night, plus tax and incidentals. Additional nights may be booked at the same rate.
The Long Beach Airport (LGB) is the closest airport, but the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is also an option for more direct flight options and the John Wayne Airport is close as well. 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!
![A woman with a clipboard talks with a woman in a wheelchair with a small service dog on her lap.](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychdogpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A7406594-s.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1)
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 four teams can sign up for each evaluation/test. If you want to guarantee your slot through early signup with registration, pay the $40 fee (nonrefundable) for the Manners Evaluation, or the $50 fee (nonrefundable) for the PAT. If there are remaining slots, you can sign up at the convention and pay on site.
![Three service dog handlers in wheelchairs pose in a museum with their dogs in front of dog statues.](https://i0.wp.com/www.psychdogpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A7401398-s.jpg?resize=978%2C651&ssl=1)
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 peer 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.
Click below to pay through PayPal and fill out the registration form linked below.