When Kim was diagnosed with cerebral palsy I remember crying and going through denial, anger, and depression. I also remember one day having a thought run through my mind about something I had seen on television years before. I had seen assistance dogs for the disabled and it struck me then how amazing it is for the person with the disability to have such an awesome dog. It seemed like one of the few positive things we could think about in those early days. I was determined that Kim would have one of these dogs as soon as possible. I researched online and there are many organizations which provide service dogs. In comparing them I decided that the Canine Companions for Independence program sounded like the best for us. They train service dogs, skilled companions, hearing, and facility dogs. To get a service dog the recipient must be 15 years old. No way could we wait that long so we applied for a skilled companion! The child must be at least 5 years old to apply and a facilitator (me) is part of the team to help the dog and child bond and work together. There is a waiting list for the dogs and we were so anxious to get on the waiting list, I sent her application in a week or so before her 5th birthday!

After about 8 months of paperwork and interviews we made it on to the waiting list! Then another 10 months went by before we finally got the phone call. This was really great timing because with Kim being 6 years old she is really getting bored with having no friends around to play with. There are kids her age in the neighborhood but they don't take the time to spend with someone who is different and can't keep up with them. She would be fine at school all week but the weekends were torture for her and she would often cry from loneliness and boredom. We attended team training at Canine Companions for Independence for two weeks. The training was intense and emotional. There were 5 kids in our training class and seeing the kids and dogs together for the first time was something so special I can't it explain here. We graduated from the Southwest Region in Oceanside Ca. on Nov 16th 2002. I can't say enough about CCI or the people who are affiliated with the organization. Please check out the link to their website on this page and consider volunteering, raising a puppy, making a donation, or applying for a CCI dog. You will become part of something so wonderful and your life will be enriched!

Canyon Lake AZ 2002

Gino was born Oct 30 2000. He is a golden retriever/lab cross. He is calm when out in public and playful and loving at home. He is so sweet, his heart must be the size of Texas! He spent the first year or so with wonderful CCI puppy raisers. We can't thank Pam and Tracy and their families enough for helping to make Gino the wonderful friend to Kim that he is today! CCI breeds their own dogs for temperament. When they are turned in by the puppy raisers for advanced training, the puppies are carefully screened for any health or temperament issues. Roughly one in four pups actually make it through the screening and training process and graduate. Don't worry, the other three either go back to their puppy raisers or on to a wonderful adoptive home!
Gino is a skilled companion dog. He provides companionship and knows a lot of commands which allow him to interact with Kim and help her become more independent. One of the most fun and useful commands gets him to retrieve dropped items. He also has commands that get him right up to Kim for a snuggle. They both like those commands a lot! He is capable of opening and closing doors too. Another great part of having the dog is that he is such an ice breaker when we take him out in public. Having him around encourages us to get out more as we need to get Gino regular excercise and training. Kim helps groom him which works on her fine motor skills. She feeds him so she is learning responsibility. I'm sure you can tell that I am really happy with this situation!

Canine Companions for Independence

Southwest Region of CCI: CCI's Oceanside Ca facility

Valley of the Sun Service Dogs: Arizona chapter of CCI

WorkingDogs.com: Great training info!

The Delta Society: A lot of service dog information.

Service Dogs 4 Kids: A yahoo group for people with service dogs or interested in getting a dog for their child.

Kim's beautiful friend, Emily with her skilled companion Janelle.