Doggie Do Right: Companions For Independence

His name is Carlo. He is blonde, with very expressive brown eyes. When he goes to work in the morn­ing, heads turn. It may be his air of confidence, his handsome profile, that yellow cape or wagging tail. Yellow cape? Wagging tail? Did I mention Carlo is a yellow Labrador retriever? More importantly, he’s not just any Labrador retriever, but one of an elite group of dogs that are raised to be assistance dogs in the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) program.

The 17-month-old Carlo has been raised by volunteer Kirstin Hill since he was two months old. During his wonder years, Hill will teach Carlo about 30 basic commands and social­ization techniques. Carlo goes to work with Hill at the California Public Employee Retirement System office in Sacramento during the week and lies quietly on a bed in her cubicle, attends meetings with her and goes to the park or for walks during lunch.

When not at work, Carlo has a social life that might be the envy of most humans. On weekends, you might find him camping in Yosemite or at Lake Tahoe, in the Sierra playing in the snow, hiking in the Gold Country, wine tasting in the Napa Valley (without the actual tasting, of course), visiting San Francisco, at­tending Sacramento River Cats games, going to the movies or dining out at a local restaurant. “My goal as a puppy raiser is to introduce him to new situations in a positive way, build his confidence and teach him appropriate behav­ior,” says Hill.

Hill and Carlo are part of the Gold Rush Chapter of Canine Companions for Indepen­dence (CCI), which encompasses 14 northern California counties and parts of northern Ne­vada. The Gold Rush Chapter has more than 100 puppy raisers, and can have between 60 and 70 puppies in training at any one time. In2007, the Chapter turned in 42 pups to CCI for advanced training.

CCI is a non-profit organization that was founded in July, 1975, in Santa Rosa, the na­tional headquarters and Northwest Regional Center. The organization was established to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partner­ships.

CCI trains four types of Canine Compan­ion Teams: Service Teams for people with physical and/or developmental disabilities who need help performing practical tasks; Hearing Teams for adults who are hard of hearing or deaf; Skilled Companion Teams for adults and children with disabilities who benefit from the social, interactive and functional commands of a Canine Companion; and Facility Teams for adults who work as professional care giv­ers, educators or in other settings that can use a Canine Companion to improve the mental, physical or emotional well-being of individu­als.

After the puppy raiser returns the dog to CCI, the dog attends a six- to nine-month course of advanced training with professional instructors at a Regional Training Center. Dur­ing advanced training, dogs undergo medical exams and have their temperaments evalu­ated. Basic obedience commands are re­viewed in the first semester and they begin to work around wheelchairs and learn the retrieve command. The second semester focuses on commands such as pull and light-switch. The dogs also train in the field to determine if they can handle the stresses of various environ­ments, and are screened to see if the dogs have what it takes to become a CCI assistance dog. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of the dogs make it through this intense training.

Each dog that passes muster is then paired with a recipient, and they are trained together during a two-week Team Training period. If both the dog and recipient pass the course, they attend a graduation ceremony in which the puppy raiser passes the leash to the gradu­ate and the graduate officially receives the Canine Companion. The Canine Companions are provided to the recipients at no charge.

“Last year, I am proud to say that CCI placed 200 assistance dogs nationwide,” states Kathy Pierson, Northwest Regional Executive Director, Canine Companions for Independence.

On Saturday, May 17, a Canine Compan­ions for Independence Graduation Ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts (formerly Luther Burbank Center) in Santa Rosa.

The Gold Rush Chapter of CCI organizes fundraisers as well as several demonstra­tions and information sessions with their dogs throughout the year. The Chapter’s major fund-raiser benefiting CCI is the annual Dawgs in the Ruff Golf Tournament in October. For more details, visit golf4cci.com.