1.5 to 2.5 years
The average time it takes Southern Cross to fully train one service dog, from a young puppy to a placed working partner.
Giving back
Every new smile helps train a service dog
For every new patient who schedules with us, West Orange Dental Studio gives $5 to Southern Cross Service Dogs, the Winter Garden nonprofit that trains and places service dogs with veterans at no cost to them.
Our pledge Smiles That Serve: $5 per new patientSmiles That Serve
$5
from every new patient, starting fall 2026 when we open our doors.
No paperwork on your end, nothing added to your bill, no strings. You come in for your first visit, and we send the money.
Our give partner
Meet Southern Cross Service Dogs
Southern Cross Service Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on West Plant Street in downtown Winter Garden, a few minutes from our studio. They raise and train service dogs, then place them with United States veterans carrying the lasting effects of post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma.
The organization was founded by Brandon Marquez, who spent seven years as a Multi-Purpose Canine Handler with Marine Corps Special Operations before a medical retirement in 2020. The name and the design pay homage to the Marine Raiders of the Second World War. Their motto is three words long, and it's the whole promise: Always Beside You.
A trained service dog isn't a comfort or a companion animal. It's a working partner taught to perform specific tasks for a specific person, and getting one ready is slow, expensive, hands-on work. Southern Cross does it anyway, and then hands the dog over for free.
Why it takes so much
What goes into one service dog
Three numbers explain why a program like this runs entirely on donations.
$0 to the veteran
Every dog is placed at no cost to the qualified veteran who receives it. Donations cover the entire cost of raising and training.
A few miles away
Their team works out of downtown Winter Garden, minutes from our studio, so every dollar stays right here in West Orange County.
Why this partner
This one is personal
Dr. Little came to dentistry through the Navy. He earned his degree on a Navy scholarship, then served five years on active duty: two at Camp Lejeune, including his Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency, and three more in Pensacola before finishing his commitment and settling in Winter Garden.
He spent those five years treating sailors and Marines, which means he knows the people Southern Cross serves. He also knows that the hardest part of service often starts after it ends.
So when it came time to choose where this practice would give, the decision took about a minute. A veteran-founded organization, doing patient and unglamorous work for veterans, a few miles up the road from our front door. That's an easy yes.
How it works
Three steps, and none of them are yours
You don't have to opt in, donate, or fill anything out. Becoming a patient is the whole thing.
01
Join the VIP List
Tell us you're interested. When we open in fall 2026, our team calls you first to get you on the schedule.
02
Come in for your first visit
A full new patient exam with Dr. Little, a 3D scan, and a plan explained in plain language.
03
We send $5 to Southern Cross
We track every new patient and pass the money along. It comes out of the practice, never out of your bill.
Newest trainee
Meet Kellie
Kellie is a yellow Labrador puppy, and the newest dog in the Southern Cross program. She's right at the start of the long road every one of their dogs walks: socialization in loud and crowded places, public access work in restaurants and stores and stadiums, and finally task training built around the specific veteran she will be matched with.
That last part is what most people never see. A service dog isn't simply a well behaved dog. Kellie will spend the better part of two years learning to do a job, and every month of it has to be paid for by someone.
That's where a first visit at our studio comes in. It's a small amount on its own. Multiplied across every new patient who walks through our door, it adds up to real training days for dogs like her.
In training
Where these dogs learn to work
Boats, buses, festivals, stadiums. A service dog has to be reliable everywhere, so Southern Cross takes them everywhere.
Want to do more
Other ways to help
Our pledge is one small piece of what Southern Cross needs. If you want to go further, go straight to the source.
Donate directly
Give to Southern Cross yourself, in any amount. Donations are what pay for the food, the veterinary care, and the years of training behind every placement.
Donate to Southern CrossVolunteer or attend an event
They're always looking for hands, and their community events are a genuinely good time. Sharing their mission costs nothing and helps more than you'd think.
See ways to get involvedApply for a service dog
If you're a United States veteran living with a disability, or you know one who is, Southern Cross accepts applications directly through their website.
Start an applicationSouthern Cross Service Dogs Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 87-2519842, at 207 W. Plant Street, Winter Garden, FL. Donations you make directly to Southern Cross are tax deductible and go entirely to them. Our $5 per new patient contribution is paid by the practice, and West Orange Dental Studio receives no part of any donation.
Now forming our patient family
Join the list, help train a dog
Get priority booking and early access to new-patient promotions when we open in fall 2026. Your first visit sends $5 to Southern Cross Service Dogs.
Join the VIP List