CANINE COMPANIONS FOR INDEPENDENCE INC

TRAINING AND CLIENT SERVICES - CANINE COMPANIONS PLACED 547 WORKING DOGS IN 2024. OUR TRAINING CONSISTED OF IN-PERSON FOLLOW-UP VISITS WITH CLIENTS, TRAINING DOGS ON OUR CAMPUSES, AND TEACHING NUMEROUS TEAM TRAINING CLASSES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.OUR PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS SPEND SIX TO NINE MONTHS TEACHING THE DOG TO MASTER MORE THAN 40 TASKS BEFORE THE DOG CAN BE MATCHED WITH AN ADULT OR CHILD WHO HAS A DISABILITY, OR A PROFESSIONAL ASSISTING PEOPLE AT RISK. WE PROVIDE SERVICE DOGS TO INDIVIDUALS WITH MORE THAN 65 TYPES OF DISABILITIES, INCLUDING A WIDE RANGE OF PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE, DEVELOPMENTAL, AND AUDITORY DISABILITIES.WE TRAIN SERVICE AND FACILITY DOGS TO BEST SERVE OUR CLIENTS. IN 2024, WE PLACED 379 SERVICE DOGS, WHICH INCLUDED 47 DOGS TRAINED TO ASSIST INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE D/DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING TO ALERT TO SOUNDS, AND 50 DOGS PROVIDED TO VETERANS INCLUDING 34 DOGS TRAINED TO PROVIDE SPECIALIZED TASKS FOR VETERANS WITH POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD). IN ADDITION, WE PROVIDED 80 DOGS TO PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE UTILIZING THE DOG TO MEET CLIENTS' THERAPY GOALS AND SUPPORT CLIENTS WITH DISABILITIES OR WHO ARE AT RISK. WE ALSO PROVIDED 8 AGENCY TRANSFERS AND CERTIFIED 160 THERAPY DOG PLACEMENTS. SINCE ITS INCEPTION IN 1975, CANINE COMPANIONS HAS TRAINED AND PLACED 8,163 SERVICE DOGS AND CURRENTLY HAS OVER 2,764 ACTIVE GRADUATES.WE TAKE IMMENSE PRIDE IN OUR VETERANS' INITIATIVE. THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE SERVED AND SACRIFICED IN OUR MILITARY OFTEN COME BACK WITH INJURIES, SOME VISIBLE AND OTHERS NOT. AFTER RECEIVING THEIR SERVICE DOGS, OUR VETERAN GRADUATES REPORTED THE FOLLOWING: 7 OF 8 INCORPORATED THEIR SERVICE DOGS INTO TREATMENT PLANS AND THERAPIES; 1 OF 4 DECREASED MEDICATION; 9 OF 10 INCREASED THEIR SOCIAL LIFE; AND 3 OF 4 EXPERIENCED DECREASED SYMPTOMS OF PTSD. CANINE COMPANIONS HAS ALSO DEVELOPED A CUSTOMER SERVICE AND QUALITY CONTROL TOOL KNOWN AS THE "GRADUATE WORKSHOP". THESE WORKSHOPS PROVIDE OUR GRADUATES WITH ONE TO TWO-DAY FOLLOW-UP TRAININGS.

BREEDING AND PUPPY RAISING / VETERINARY - OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A PROVEN FORMULA FOR BREEDING, RAISING, AND TRAINING SERVICE DOGS. WE BREED LABRADOR RETRIEVERS, GOLDEN RETRIEVERS, AND A CROSS OF THE TWO TO BE SERVICE DOGS. DURING 2024, 152 VOLUNTEER BREEDER CARETAKERS CARED FOR OUR BREEDER DOGS AND NURTURED NEWBORN PUPPIES FOR EIGHT WEEKS. PUPPY RAISERS THEN RAISE THE DOGS FOR 16-18 MONTHS AS VOLUNTEERS, TEACHING THEM THEIR FIRST TWENTY TASKS. AT THE END OF 2024, WE HAD 1,314 ACTIVE, VOLUNTEER PUPPY RAISERS AND 1,123 ACTIVE PUPPIES. OUR TEAM OF VETERINARY AND CANINE EARLY CARE STAFF SUPPORT THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR BREEDER DOGS AND THE LITTERS THEY WHELP (939 PUPPIES IN 2024). THEY ALSO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE TO OUR PUPPY RAISERS AND GRADUATES WITH CANINE HEALTH QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS. WE ARE INVOLVED IN NUMEROUS RESEARCH PROJECTS LEADING UNIVERSITIES AND INDUSTRY RESEARCH GROUPS.TO MEET OUR AMBITIOUS GOALS LAID-OUT IN OUR MOST RECENT FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN, WE COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART CANINE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CENTER THAT ALLOWS FOR EXPANSION OF OUR BREEDING CAPABILITIES AS WELL AS OUR VETERINARY AND RESEARCH PROGRAMS. THIS IS KEY TO OUR GOALS OF PROVIDING DOGS TO SERVE MORE CLIENTS, DECREASING THE TIME TO RECEIVE A SERVICE DOG, AND EXTENDING THE REACH OF OUR MISSION. KEY BENEFITS INCLUDE: THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF CARE FOR CANINE MOTHERS AND LITTERS; EXPANSION OF RESEARCH BENEFITING THE SERVICE DOG AND DISABILITY COMMUNITIES WORLDWIDE; OPTIMAL HEALTHCARE FOR THE PUPPIES AND DOGS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY; AND THE ABILITY TO TRAIN NATIONWIDE VOLUNTEERS ON OUR HIGHEST STANDARD OF CARE AND SOCIALIZATION.