The idea of dogs helping people with disabilities is not a new concept.
And there's a unique program here in Utah that recently paired up a canine
companion with one very special boy.
News Specialist, Carole Mikita, has their story.
His name is Benjamin and you'll meet him in a moment.
But first, the dogs at Canine Companions are all either Labs, Retrievers or
a mix of the two breeds, which are sensitive to people, and especially people
with disabilities.
The puppies arrive from the breeders at the Canine Companion centers when
they are eight weeks old.
Laura Bainbridge is the assistant puppy coordinator. She says, "Working with
the puppies is always so much fun, obviously because they're so cute and cuddly
and because they're at a wonderful age to learn very rapidly."
Soon after they get the basic training here, they are placed with families
who will keep them for 12 to 16 months.
Apprentice Rhonda Faul explains, "They take them to puppy classes, and they
take them out in the public. Sometimes to work, to the grocery story and just
basically get them socialized."
Then the dogs come back for six months, and go through more training. Now
that they are used to living with people,
they have to learn about wheelchairs and crutches and how to maneuver around
them.
Their instincts to chase rabbits are now gone.
So are their desires to go after bouncing tennis balls.
Melanie Watson, of Canine Companions for Independence, says, "When you first
get the dog, it's a lot of work-- a lot more to your day, your routine. And
sometimes you're going, 'Why did I ever do this?' But as time goes on, you
become almost like a single unit."
Benjamin Ballam came to Canine Companions from Logan, Utah last year,
looking for a dog. He has a lot of friends here, and so does his new companion,
Tennessee.
They are what CCI trainers call a perfect match. Benjamin says, "They sended
this thing and it had me, my mom and Tennessee on it. And I was so excited!"
This was graduation last fall, when the families who have trained them,
give the dogs to their new masters.
Benjamin's tribute to everyone at CCI was a song.
The remarkable thing about this program is that it runs on private
donations and volunteers.
The people who need these canine companions never have to pay for them.
If you would like to volunteer as a puppy trainer, call (760) 754-
3300.
