Canine Companions Assistance Dog Team Sponsorship

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.

Canine Companions for Independence enjoyed a very good 2017.  In 2017, 403 assistance dogs were place.  It is the first time in the 42-year history of the organizaton that 400 assistance dogs were placed in a calendar year. 

One of our 2017 highlights was our continued involvement in a study with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to train and place dogs with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).  The study with the VA has ended, but our work in the area of placing dogs with veterans with PTSD is leading us to pilot a PTSD program at our Schulz Campus in Santa Rosa, California in 2018.

We also held 24 DogFest Walk 'n Rolls across the U.S., which both increased awareness of and funds for the organization.  

2018 promises to be a very busy year. We continue to proudly serve veterans through our veterans initiative, and we are improving our facilities across the country -- adding and updating facilities.  We anticipate breaking ground for a new training building in Santa Rosa later this year. We are in the midst of a capital campaign to build a new campus in New Albany, Ohio.  

Our first Team Training classes and graduation ceremonies will take place in the first quarter of 2018.  Visit us at cci.org to learn of our 2018 graduation schedule.

The growth of Canine Companions could not occur without the support we receive from our volunteers and donors.  We look forward to providing more assistance dogs free of charge to people with disabilities in 2018.