Imagine… Not being able to open a door. Hear a fire alarm. Or even pick up a dropped item. These are the kinds of challenges that many people with disabilities face on a daily basis. Put a Canine Companion assistance dog in the picture and everything changes. Canine Companions for Independence dogs help with everyday tasks from turning on lights to getting cash from an ATM.

Canine Companions for Independence is the oldest and largest assistance dog organization in the country, having just celebrated its 35th Birthday and made its 3,500th placement in 2010. Canine Companions is a national, non-profit organization that breeds trains and places highly-trained assistance dogs which enhance the lives of adults and children with disabilities, other than blindness, and provides on-going support for working life of the dog—all free of charge.

Approximately 40% of our dogs make it through two years of highly structured training to be matched with a person with a disability. When our dogs are matched with a person, they pass a public access test which offers protection under the American with Disabilities Act for them to take the dog to any public place. Test criteria is determined by an accrediting agency, Assistance Dogs International, which sets standards and benchmarks for assistance dogs. This enables our 98% success rate.

Canine Companions has always placed dogs with Veterans. Through a special initiative, Canine Companions for Independence is working to provide dogs to wounded veterans returning from the current Middle East conflicts. The Wounded Veterans Initiative was introduced to the Middleburg area at an event at Lisa and Zohar Ben-Dov's home last year. Sgt. Sam Cila (Ret.) USA, injured in 2005 in Iraq, and his Canine Companion Service Dog Gillian were special guests and were later featured in a national Time magazine article. Several days later, the Initiative was introduced in the Washington, D.C. area at which the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Dr. Clifford L. Stanley was a speaker.

Canine Companions breeds its own dogs--Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and crosses of the two breeds. Our dogs are purposefully bred to serve as assistance dogs. Our puppies are raised for the first 16-18 months of their lives by volunteer puppy raisers like Colleen Hayduk (Middleburg) and the Slater family (Upperville). They socialize them and teach them basic obedience and good manners. Their advanced formal training takes place by certified, professional instructors.

On May 19, from 5:30-7:00 PM, Lisa and Zohar Ben-Dov and Susanne and Steve Lamb are hosting a puppy raiser outreach event at the Middleburg Community Center for people to learn more about puppy raising. Volunteers are needed to help meet growing demand for highly trained assistance dogs. Meet local puppy raisers, Colleen Hayduk, the Slater family and 11-year old Maggie (Centreville), proud puppy raiser of Gillian, whose Make a Wish was to raise an assistance dog; recipients Carina and Caroline Elgin with Skilled Companion Dog Sajen (The Plains), Sgt. Sam Cila (Ret.) USA and his Service Dog Gillian. For more information call 1-800-572-BARK, or go to cci.org.