Canine Companions for Independence is a non-profit organization that provides highly-trained assistance dogs for children and adults disabilities. CCI was founded in 1975 and was the first organization of its kind. In 2008 the 3000th dog/human graduated and since then hundreds more dogs have been placed. Canine Companions has its own specialized breeding program and uses mostly Labrador and Golden Retrievers, because of their size and disposition. CCI puppies spend the first two months of their lives with loving breeder caretakers and then are sent to volunteer puppy raisers, who care for and train the puppies for the next 13 to 18 months. After that the dogs go to professional trainers. Though not all of the dogs pass, many go on to serve a man, woman, or child with a disability. For more information go to: cci.org
