Two San Gabriel Valley residents recently received assistance dogs, free of charge, from Canine Companions for Independence.
Canine Companions is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly-trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.
Devin, 27, a resident of Altadena, has cerebral palsy. Chance, of Pasadena, is 9-years-old and was born with hydrocephalus. Both Devin and Chance are benefitting from unconditional love and increased social opportunities thanks to their new assistance dogs.
Devin is unable to walk or talk but assistance dog Kingston III does not care. The big, yellow Labrador/Retriever cross does not hesitate to crawl up on Devin’s lap and kiss him on the face, his tail wagging rapidly. The two seemed to have an immediate connection.
“The first time Kingston got within eight or 10 inches of Devin’s face, they bonded with this eye contact that just lingered and lingered,” recalls Devin’s father Patrick. “Kingston was just zoned in on Devin. He never pulled away. He just wanted to stay there with Devin. We were really impressed with that! Devin can’t do a lot of initiation on his own.”
Kingston is the second Canine Companions assistance dog that Devin has received. His previous dog, Ellie IV, passed away recently. “The experience Devin had with Ellie was really wonderful and exceeded our expectations,” says his mom Michelle. “The dogs give Devin opportunities to get out into the community, feel proud and be able to introduce them to his friends. It gives them something to talk about and helps Devin make new friends.”
In fact, Devin’s relationship with Ellie inspired his brother Sean to create a children’s book with Laura Numeroff on a child raising a Canine Companions puppy. Called “Raising a Hero,” the book was released last year with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Canine Companions.
The next town over, Chance is now partnered with a yellow Labrador/Golden Retriever cross named Neelia III. When Chance’s signature ear-to-ear grin is not enough to lure people over, his sweet, gentle dog often does the trick!
“Some of my goals for Neelia are to make Chance the most popular kid in town,” Chance’s mother Kari explains with a smile. “Chance is very social. He loves to go to the park and watch kids play. Now, the kids see him differently with a dog. It makes him a cool kid to be around! He’s building confidence because he has someone to take care of. The confidence carries over into his therapies and his school life and all of his everyday activities.”
Devin and Chance’s families graduated together after completing an intense, residential, two-week team training course at Canine Companions’ Southwest Regional Center in Oceanside.
During team training, students are strategically matched with assistance dogs and learn how to work with them safely and effectively. The dogs are trained in about 40 commands to help with everyday practical tasks before they are ready to graduate as 24/7 helpers. Thanks to Canine Companions’ generous supporters, the dogs, their training and ongoing follow-up support are provided free of charge.
