Naomi Saxton & Tuck

As far back as I can remember, we have always had at least one dog in the house. We now have three Great Pyrenees dogs at the barn (two are puppies) and a Border Collie, Kaya, in the house. Then, of course, Tuck.

It was only about 2 years ago that I really got interested in dog-related things. I began to compete more seriously with Kaya in 4H obedience and agility. We have also been breeding AKC Great Pyrenees dogs for the past 10 years. My siblings and I help socialize the puppies and analyze their temperaments. It is always hard to give them away, but it is worth it to see the happy owners carry away their new puppy!

My mom and my great aunt Marilyn were the ones who got me involved with Canine Companions for Independence. In California, my great aunt is on her 12th CCI puppy. She has always encouraged us to be volunteer puppy raisers, however as none in our family really had an interest in it (except for my mom), we held off. Then when I began to get more into dog training, my mom decided that it would be a good time to start this new journey of puppy raising.

We got Tuck on March 1st. He is the smallest of the nine puppies in the litter, but sometimes those are the best! Breeding and selling the Pyrenees has helped to prepare me for what is coming in turning Tuck back over to the North Central Region training center in Delaware, Ohio, in the year of 2020.

It is quite different to have a Lab/Golden puppy after being around Great Pyrenees for so long. The two breeds are different, as one is bred to work with you and the other to work away from you. I am looking forward to raising him with the hope that he will one day be an assistance dog and help those around him.

Lisa and Keith Dare & Schumann II

All of us walk among this earth hoping we can find our “true” calling, find that “one” thing that fills ours hearts with so much JOY and impacts others with a new life of independence.

God blessed us in March of 2017 with an amazing puppy named Schumann ll. He opened our hearts and lives like nothing we have experienced before. Over our 18 months together, we knew he was special. But we all can be bias. It was towards the end of our time together that we saw things shift with Schumann ll. He was destined to be do something fulfilling.

Now, he is a HERO to his NEW family. Schumann will fill their lives with JOY.

Thank you for shining your true light on us Schumann ll. We are beyond PROUD and look forward to following your NEW journey with Danielle.

Erin Taggart

I began volunteering with Canine Companions for Independence six years ago after a series of events led me to discover the organization. Having worked in pet care for a few years, I decided to attend dog training school where I learned about obedience, puppy, and even service dog training, since that’s always been an interest of mine.

Soon after, I adopted my German Spitz rescue, Queequeg. An energetic little guy, we went to every dog related event around, eventually making our way to Hinckley Ohio, and Canine Companions. I was hooked when I heard a graduate speak about how her life was positively impacted by getting a service dog. I immediately wanted to get involved to help more people get this opportunity.

I found the volunteers to be very warm and welcoming. Most of them are puppy raisers and, while this isn’t something that fits into my life right now, that doesn’t mean I can’t pitch in and help. If I’m running the projector at an event, that frees up those with puppies to get out and mingle. Other times I get to do a little more. A favorite volunteer moment was running the contests at the Dogfest fundraiser. I love the way a contest like ‘best trick’ can showcase the tasks Canine Companions for Independence dogs do for people on a daily basis. On other occasions I’ve gotten to march in parades. Once I had the privilege of walking a Canine Companions puppy so the raiser could photograph the event. I also love that I can take my own dog to some of the events. We both have a blast!

For the past few years I’ve been doing dog walking and training while attending Cleveland State University, graduating last year with my Bachelor of Arts in psychology. I’m excited that Canine Companions has started a PTSD pilot program. Service dogs can do so much to help a person, whether their need is physical or psychological. In the future I plan to continue in the pet care or training fields, maybe even training service dogs someday. For now, I’m happy helping out where I can for such an amazing organization.