You can't miss Canine Companions for Independence with their distinctive yellow and blue vests, attentive and ready to serve their person. Founded in 1975, Canine Companions have proven their worth by helping children and adults to live better lives in spite of disabilities and medical conditions.

"My daughter was the first in this area to get a Canine Companion, and we really want to "give back" by helping CCI in any way we can. One way is to recruit new puppy raisers. CCI could not exist without these amazing people," said Carina Elgin. "Currently, four CCI puppies are being raised by Heidi Hotchkiss at Foxcroft, by Jane Banse and the CCI Club at Middleburg Academy, by the Slater family of Middleburg Montessori, and by Georgiana Watt."

Right before press time, Lynne Kelly and her son Sam Morgan welcomed their CCI puppy. Other members of the local community who have sponsored or raised CCI puppies include Lisa and Zohar Ben-Dov, Julie and John Coles, Jennifer (Frost) Fleming, Gail Griffith, and Susanne Lamb.

CCI puppies attend the bi-weekly CCI training class under the tutelage of Genevieve Warner CPDT at Middleburg's American Legion. "Graduate" teams often stop by to watch, especially Caroline Elgin and Shelly, her second CCI service dog.

Caroline has cerebral palsy, caused by birth trauma. Weak muscle tone makes walking difficult, and her speech is soft and unclear. Teaming with Sajen at the age of 10 helped her to evolve from shy fifth grader into poised young lady.

"Getting a CCI dog is a really great thing because it brings you into the world. You always have a friend nearby," said Caroline. "You have more independence and confidence, because your dog can help you with many things. You also get a whole new family, because the volunteers are all such great people."

Sajen turned 12 and retired to a life of leisure on the Elgins' farm in The Plains. The Elgins flew to California so Caroline could team up with Shelly. The two dogs couldn't be more different. Sajen is a big, black male who needed lots of praise, whereas Shelly (two) is a small, very mellow female and responds to Caroline's soft voice, perfect for the next phase of her life, when mom might not always be nearby.

Carina recalled Caroline and Sajen's first Middleburg Christmas parade. "My husband Dean and I were astonished, watching this shy girl in a wheelchair, driving down the middle of Main Street, just beaming – smiling, waving and so very proud of her dog. It was the first of many amazing experiences for Caroline with Sajen by her side."

Canine Companions for Independence, a nation-wide 501c3 non-profit, breeds Labradors, Golden Retrievers, and crosses of the two to be trained as service dogs, facility dogs, skilled companions, and hearing dogs. CCI service dogs partner with children and adults with physical disabilities. The dogs turn lights on and off, fetch things like the remote and shoes, pick up dropped keys, pull manual wheelchairs, and lots more. They provide great social support and guarantee that their person is never alone.

The official path of each Canine Companion starts when pups are weaned and spend 15-18 months with puppy raisers. In May several Middleburg puppies will be handed over to CCI for advanced training. From birth to graduation each dog costs about $40,000, but in CCI's unique program, thanks to volunteers and donors, there is no charge to the children, adults and veterans who qualify and pass the training.

Not every CCI puppy makes the grade. They can't have allergies or health issues and undergo rigorous training and testing. If any CCI dog leaves the program or is not matched with a human partner, its "raiser" person or family has first dibs and usually welcomes their former pup with joy and open hearts.

That was the case with the Slater family. "My four children – Cassella, MegAnn, CatiAdele, Bobby – and I have raised four puppies for CCI and so far two have graduated to become service dogs," said BethAnn Slater. "A third one went almost all the way through the advanced specialized training to be a hearing dog, but she was culled for distractability. Hedy is a great dog and she's with my oldest daughter at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

"Our fourth CCI puppy is Shyla and my youngest, Bobby, brings her to school at Middleburg Montessori," Slater added. "Shyla's day varies. She gets put through the basics – sit, stay, bed and down – and also practices being calm at school. With the children there's a lot of distraction and they can get noisy. The most difficult part of raising CCI puppies is returning them for advanced training. We are very sad when the dogs leave us, but there is also great joy to know that our puppies can help someone live a better life."

Every December local Canine Companions for Independence turn out in full force to participate in the Christmas In Middleburg parade. This year a brand new team joined the CCI group: Forest Stone Allen and Toliver walked the entire length of the parade route. Three years ago, Forrest suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). In November he succeeded in taking and passing the intensive two-week training at CCI's northeast headquarters (New York state). Forrest teamed up with his Canine Companion service dog, raised coincidentally by family friend and former Middleburg resident, Colleen Hayduk Roberts.

"Toliver has been an enormous help to Forrest through these recent and very disappointing setbacks – two hospitalizations and three surgeries," said his mother Dr. Rae Stone, DVM. "To-liver spreads love, joy, and hope everywhere he goes – to Forrest and to his family (father Kent Allen DVM and brother Austin), friends, doctors, nurses, therapists, and other hospitalized patients. Toliver's unconditional love, his special brand of joy and hope eases the pain and makes anything seem possible."

People who grow up with disabilities or whose health issues result in severe challenges often end up feeling alone and outside of mainstream society. But there is nothing like a lovely big dog, fiercely devoted and loyal to their person, to make a bad day better and brighter. It's also interesting how the CCI service dogs actually help a person to come to grips with their realities at various stages of their lives.

People asked Caroline whether she has a better relationship with Sajen or Shelly, although she loves them both. "Shelly – because I am older and she is more my own dog now that I don't need my mom around like I did when I was 10," said Caroline, who attends college to study graphic arts and started LabradorableDesigns.com, a greeting card and graphics business. "I also understand now that I am older how much Shelly is going to mean to me and how special she is. I understand better how volunteers and staff worked really hard to prepare her for me."

Canine Companions for Independence can save lives literally. Nation-wide, the CCI community has about 3,000 active members and about 1,851 active graduate teams.

For more information and to get involved, please visit www.cci.org.