Puppy Raisers Make World A Better Place

If you have ever spoken with a person who uses an assistance dog, you know that these dogs change lives. Whether it's a PTSD dog helping a military person return to "regular life," a hearing dog providing alerts to a person who cannot hear anything from the doorbell to a fire alarm, or a service dog providing aid to a person lacking mobility, these dogs are capable of miracles. And what if you were offered the opportunity to be a part of one of those miracles? Most of us would certainly give the offer serious thought. Last week was all about miracle workers, because it was International Assistance Dog Week (August 7-13), a week designated to honor service dogs and those who make those assistance dogs possible. The teams of people needed to breed dogs, raise puppies, and train dogs satisfactorily to be service dogs are a hardworking lot, spread throughout the country, and they are affiliated with various service dog organizations. More miracles, of course, are dependent on a bigger pipeline of puppies. As Katie Malatino, public relations coordinator for Canine Companions for Independence in Santa Rosa, California, says: "In order to provide more assistance dogs free of charge for people with disabilities, Canine Companions is gradually increasing the number of puppies in our program. Additional volunteers are a critical part of our mission." Getting Involved So how do you get involved? Organizations that train service dogs use all sorts of volunteers. People are needed...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news