Canine Companions for Independence

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Canine Companions for Independence (CCI)^[1] was founded in Santa Rosa, California in July of 1975. They are a non-profit organization that is dedicated to providing specially trained dogs to disabled people in an effort to enrich their lives as well as provide them the opportunity to live life more independently. Although the idea and practice of using dogs to help the disabled is not a new concept, Canine Companions for Independence is responsible for organizing and taking the practice to a new level.

1 Origins of Canine Companions for Independence
2 Who gets the dogs?
3 Breeding the Dogs
4 Training
5 CCI, A Well-Managed Organization
6 CCI, In the News
7 References

[edit] Origins of Canine Companions for Independence

Ed Eame’s study, Bridging Differences within the Disability Community: The Assistance Dog Movement^[2] offers a brief history of the canine assistance program. The ground breaking canine assistance school was The Seeing Eye. It was established during the post-war years of World War I. The Great War did play a key role in the concept, as did Dorothy Eustis. Eustis was an American living in Switzerland after the war. She observed many blinded German veterans who were being guided be German Sheppard dogs. She wrote an article that was published in the Saturday Evening Post about her observations and also proposed to work with any blind Americans who were interested. And so the first team was born: Dorothy Eustis as teacher, Morris Frank as the blind person, and Buddy the dog. Unfortunately, their planned training program flopped, as most of the organizations working with blind paid little attention. But World War II brought a much larger demand for assistance for the blind, and soon there were 15 guide dog schools in the United States. Bonita Bergin was a leader in the assisted living movement. She studied in undeveloped areas where animals were used to help the disabled. She sought advice from guide dog training programs, but they were "unresponsive and offered little help."

As Dorothy Eustis had done in the 1920’s, Bergin’s ambition and self determination allowed her to establish the first service dog training program in the country in 1975, the Canine Companions for Independence. Since 1975, it has grown to a national organization. CCI currently operates in five national regions, which are listed below:

Northwest Region: Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, & Alaska

Southwest Region: Southern California, Southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma, Arkansas, & Hawaii

North Central Region: North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska,. & Pennsylvania

Northeast Region: New York, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusets, Rhode Island, Connecticut, & Washington DC

Southeast Region: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Calorina, South Carolina, & Alabama

Canines for Independence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations are typically non-profit groups that do not incorporate funds into their service, such as churches and charities. They are also tax exempt.^[3] All expenses of the dogs (breeding, raising, and training), are paid for by private donations. These include donations by foundations, corporations, or even personal checks. The Lions Project for Canine Companions for Independence (LPCCI) has donated a total of $2 million to the project. In addition, much of the work is done by volunteers. The Lions Project was founded in 1983 to better function as a significant provider of financial and volunteer support to CCI.^[4]

[edit] Who gets the dogs?

Canine Companions for Independence trains dogs for three types of individuals. First, there are service dogs. These dogs are specially trained to help individuals with disabilities. They basically fill in the areas that disabled persons cannot do on their own. Examples include: helping a person in a wheelchair, turning lights or switches on or off, picking up something that has been dropped, or even opening up a door. These dogs mostly help with the physical aspects of assistance.

Next are the facility teams. These teams are made up of the dog and a partner, usually a rehabilitation specialist, educator, or caretaker. Primarily, these dogs help out in the mental, physical and emotional development of a person in need. They break up the monotony of overcoming obstacles and are used as an encourager or reward system for the person. These dogs also carry most of the skills of the service dogs as well as specialized skills for whatever type of facility the dog will be working in. For the person in recovery or extended care, these dogs are used for and provide unconditional love and hope for success.

Finally, there are the hearing dogs that help those who are deaf or hard of hearing. They find great comfort in having these specially trained dogs by their side. The dogs are trained to alert these individuals by making physical contact. Without the dogs, the deaf or hearing impaired are at an increased for accidents or injuries as a result of not hearing important alarms, intruders, or even a cooking timer going off. Besides the actual actions the dogs help with, the users are typically more comfortable knowing that the dog is by their side and able to alert them if something happens.

[edit] Breeding the Dogs

The breeding process for CCI is very simple. They use purebred Golden Retrievers and purebred Labrador Retrievers, as well as a cross between the two. CCI prides themselves in choosing the "best of the best." To ensure that they in fact are the "best of the best," the puppies go though extensive temperament and medical evaluations before being selected. Each puppy is placed with a volunteer breeder/caretaker who is located within a ninety mile radius of their national headquarters in Santa Rosa, California. The female dog caretakers are responsible for the actual birth of the puppies and taking care of them for the first eight weeks. The male dog caretakers are responsible for having the puppies ready for mating.

When it comes time to raise the puppies, CCI calls upon volunteers for this as well. The volunteers must have the ability to provide a safe house as well as caring for the puppy from the time it is eight weeks old until it is time to turn them in, which would be a total of sixteen to eighteen months. The volunteers must devote the proper time each day to completely caring for the puppy. This includes: exercise, grooming, feeding, socialization, and all necessary healthcare requirements, such as spaying and neutering. CCI recommends the proper amount of time that should be devoted to raising the dogs to the volunteers. The volunteers are also responsible for transportation, such as shipping costs and the cost required if a puppy needs to be shipped back to CCI for advanced training.

Some of the guidelines for being a puppy raiser in the CCI program include that the puppy must live indoors as well as sleep in a crate. The puppy must also be the only puppy of one year or younger. Supervision of the puppy throughout the day is very important. The volunteer is required to attend approved obedience classes as well as paying all veterinary, transportation, and feeding costs. CCI will specify how the puppy should be fed. The volunteer is responsible for keeping the puppy on a leash at all times unless they are secured by a fenced area. The volunteer is also responsible for submitting monthly progress reports, as well as behavioral, medical, or training issues to CCI. If the volunteer is under the age of eighteen they must have a parent or guardian act as a co-volunteer.

[edit] Training

The CCI training for dogs starts as soon as the dog is returned by the volunteers. The dog starts a six to nine month advanced training course by professional instructors. During the first two weeks of training the dogs are screened by having medical tests and x-rays to examine their temperaments. If the dog does not pass the examinations they will be released from the advanced training. The first three months of training, which is referred to as the first semester, will review what the dogs have learned and build upon what they have learned. This is the stage where the dog will be taught the "retrieve" command and they will also start working around wheelchairs. If the dog passes the first semester, they will advance to the second semester of the advanced training. The second semester, which lasts another three months, will conclude the commands they need to know such as "light-switch" and "pull." The dogs will be put in real life situations to determine if they have what it takes to handle the stress.

Team training is the final phase in the advanced training. This is where the dog is paired with the hopeful recipient and they go through two weeks of training. This will not only show how the dog reacts to that certain recipient, but also to teach the recipient how to handle and care for the dog. After the two week training, if the recipient and the dog pass, they will both attend CCI graduation. The volunteer who raised the dog will pass the leash of the canine onto the recipient. At this point the training is considered a success and the pairing of the canine and the recipient is official. CCI is a growing organization; from 1999 to 2005, the number of teams graduating per year grew from 105 to 196.

[edit] CCI, A Well-Managed Organization

Canine Companions for Independence is generally a well-managed organization. While researching the company, no evidence was found that the dogs are mistreated in any way. The only negative information found was one incident involving the Oceanside kennel in California. Sixty-four dogs came down with dog flu.^[5] It is important to note that there were no reported deaths associated with this outbreak. The flu outbreak seems to be the only negative exposure this organization has experienced. All of the kennels seem to take excellent care of the canines.

What's more, Canine Companions for Independence provides these specially trained dogs to those eligible to receive them for only $100.00. This covers the team training registration fee. And even this small fee is reimbursed with supplies. This is the only expense associated with receiving one of these dogs. This organization is providing more than just a pet; they are providing an essential aid to those in need.

[edit] CCI, In the News

A Dogs Non-Violent Protest Against the NBA

On January 18, 2005 a charity group of the Canine Companions for Independence was present at the Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic NBA game. The organization was receiving a $10,000 donation from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation. At halftime, a dog belonging to the group managed to make its way down to the court, where it promptly relieved itself. A custodian cleaned up the mess, and after a three-minute delay, the players were back on the court with smiles.^[6]

Dogs Catch the Flu

An outbreak of dog flu broke out at a CCI kennel in late May 2006. In all, sixty-four were affected. Sneezing and coughing were the main symptoms, all of which went away. CCI isolated the ill canines to prevent further outbreak. All of the dogs are back to good health and according to the CCI Director of Canine Programs, Paul Mundell, “Ten [of the 64] are expected to graduate from training in August to provide assistance to individuals with disabilities.” ^[7]