Krystal Culler

I had the privilege to become involved with CCI back in 2009 when I accompanied my dear friend Jesse to receive his skilled companion dog, Waylon. During the intense team training and becoming a facilitator for Jesse & Waylon, I witnessed firsthand how much a service dog could enhance the life of someone with a disability. I also observed the hard work and high performance standards required of our graduate teams. (It is so much work!)

Since my dear friend was kind enough to share his service dog journey with me, I told him that one day I was going to try to raise a puppy for CCI on behalf of him. During the summer of 2011, I embarked on my first puppy raising experience. 

I was shocked that someone trusted me enough with a puppy worth thousands of dollars, but I embraced the challenge with my boyfriend Jacob. I turned in my first CCI pup (Lady the lovely Labrador) weeks before my wedding and found myself filling out another puppy application during one of my sleepless nights. CCI released Lady from the program right after our wedding and I did not think much about the application I submitted. About 5 months later I received a call from CCI looking for a placement for a puppy. I was SO excited and long story short, we picked up miss Patience. 

I knew within a week that she was a unique puppy and that I was going to make the best of all my time with her as I anticipated it was going to be limited. We had high hopes for her from the start… she was a charismatic, independent, fearless, and spunky. She touched the lives of so many people during our community demos, public outings, and being my college teaching assistant. Until her final placement, Patience always kept us guessing. She went into heat and missed her matriculation ceremony. She stayed an extra semester at “college” but she was the adorable precious face of CCI as NCR’s demo dog. (I know I am bias but she is gorgeous!) 

Finally, in May she found her forever match! They are perfect for one another and we are blessed to be able to follow their journey on social media and occasional visits. Patience is a saint and now she is a Maryville Saint at college with her forever match. CCI always says, “Raise a puppy; change a life.” This statement does not capture the essence of how my life has been changed by being a “mom” and “puppy sitter” to my four-legged heroes. CCI will always hold a special place in my heart along with all the dogs and people that I have met through my volunteer opportunities. I have the “puppy itch” again and look forward to being a puppy raiser in the near future.