Canine Companions For Independence

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.

Public information and local presence - we proactively provide education regarding service dogs and the challenges faced by service dog handlers. Our efforts have produced many articles in national and local newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and online. We have worked with national and local web, radio, and television broadcasts to bring awareness of our program, reaching over 350 million people.to keep supporters informed of national, regional and local activities, we distribute a tri-annual print newsletter, monthly electronic communications and direct mail packages that educate the general public and provide program updates. Additionally, canine companions maintains and regularly updates accounts on social media including facebook, x, linkedin, instagram, tiktok, and youtube.