Canine Companions Assistance Dog Team Sponsorship

The first six months of 2018 are in the books, and the first half of the year has been a good one for Canine Companions for Independence.

We'll start with graduate placements.  All of our regions have held Team Trainings and graduation ceremonies, resulting in the placement of more than 150 assistance dogs in 2018. That puts us on track to once again place over 300 assistance dogs. And, it is important to emphasize that we do not charge recipients for their dog or for follow-up services. More than 5,800 assistance dogs have been placed since we opened our doors in 1975. By the time 2018 ends, we anticipate all-time placements will exceed 6,000. Graduation ceremonies will take place throughout the country this summer. To learn of the date, time and location of a graduation ceremony, visit us at cci.org.

Canine Companions will be in many communities this summer and fall, as Dog Fest Walk 'n Rolls continue this summer and fall. In addition, we look forward to numerous other special events that raise awareness of our organization and how we make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities.

Other noteworthy news includes the grand re-opening of our Southwest Campus in Oceanside. We anticipate breaking ground later this year on a new and much needed training building at our National headquarters and Northwest Regional Center in Santa Rosa. We also showed off the Schulz Campus in June, with the annual Sit Stay Sparkle event, which raised over $270,000 for the organization.

Canine Companions relies on thousands of volunteers to make it possible for us to do the work we do. We just concluded our annual TEAM Conference in Santa Rosa. Well over 100 volunteer leaders from across the country came to share, learn and take back to their chapters information gained from the conference. TEAM stands for Together Everyone Achieves More, and our organization knows that it takes a team to make it possible for us to provide our highly trained assistance dogs free of charge.

Two-time graduate Tammie shared that having a Canine Companions assistance dog makes it so much easier to be independent and get around in public.

We appreciate your interest in and support of Canine Companions for Independence. Thank you for helping us Give a Dog a Job. Enjoy the summer! 

How does Canine Companions follow up on a record breaking year that saw our organization place an all-time high of 403 assistance dogs?  

We held Team Trainings and graduation ceremonies in all six regions, resulting in the placement of over 80 assistance dogs -- that's how! In other words, we picked up right where we left off, as we welcomed new graduates and provided successor assistance dogs to a number of our recipients in the first three months of 2018.  Thanks to the donations we receive, our graduates receive their assistance dog and follow-up services free of charge.

The second quarter of 2018 will include numerous Team Trainings and graduation ceremonies. If you are in the vicinity of one of our regional centers, please come to a graduation ceremony. In addition, as the weather improves across the country, the number of events will increase. We're gearing up for DogFest Walk 'n Rolls, and special events, such as Sit Stay Sparkle, which will occur at our Schulz Campus in Santa Rosa, California on Saturday, June 9. 

Toward the end of the quarter, we will hold our annual TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) Conference, which features a Volunteer Leadership Conference. That event provides our volunteer leaders from across the country with the opportunity to meet with one another, learn from one another and Canine Companions staff, and take home the latest news and best practices to volunteer chapters and groups around the country. Over 3,000 volunteers, ranging from puppy raisers to event volunteers truly make a difference for Canine Companions and the people we serve. 

One such person is Tammie, who graduated with her second assistance dog, Ferrari in 2017. Tammie shared that having a Canine Companions assistance dog makes it so much easier to be independent and to get around in public. 

Thanks so much for making a difference for Tammie and all of our graduates, and for Giving a Dog a Job.