Canine Companions, the nation’s longest running service dog organization. We provide highly skilled Labradors and Golden Retrievers to adults, children, and military veterans with disabilities. Free of charge!
- Canine Companions supports military veterans with highly skilled service dogs that can assist with daily tasks such as opening doors, retrieving items, pushing elevator buttons, and even assisting with shopping transactions.
- In 2018, we launched a special initiative to specifically address the needs of veterans with PTSD. These dogs are trained to help with anxiety, nightmare interruption, turning on lights, and retrieving items.
- A service dog’s journey begins with our amazing puppy raisers who accept a puppy at 10-12 weeks old with a 15-18 month commitment to teach the puppy good manners, basic commands, and socialization. Then the dog returns to a Canine Companions training center/campus for advance training.
- Applicants are invited to their regional training center/campus where they stay for several days and nights to work with several prospective service dogs until they find the perfect match for their needs and the dogs’ skills and temperament. These “teams” then graduate in an emotionally uplifting ceremony when the dog’s original puppy-raiser literally hands the leash over to the new owner.
- Canine Companions' graduates receive their dog free of charge, along with support from Canine Companions throughout the working life of the dog.
- How can listeners learn more: Go to Canine.org. Volunteer to be a puppy-raiser. Or make a donation – all donations are now being matched for Veterans Day.