Since 1975, Canine Companions has been providing highly trained service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities at no cost. Now, the nonprofit organization has opened its first Virginia site in Mathews.
The new Helen and Murray Main Canine Companions location opened in early April at the historic Eastbrooke Estate at 17262 John Clayton Memorial Highway. Canine Companions CEO Paige Mazzoni said the new location, the organization’s eighth one in the United States, will help increase the number of puppy raisers in Virginia and expand its reach to more clients, particularly veterans.
“This site is near Virginia’s 400 existing volunteers and also large military installments,” Mazzoni said. “We’ve had a veterans’ initiative for decades and are excited to serve more veterans from this area.”
Ben Cawood, a Virginia Beach resident, said he’s deeply passionate about the new Virginia center.
“I’ve seen firsthand how Canine Companions transforms lives,” Cawood said. “I’m excited about the opportunities this new location will create.”
Cawood started working with Canine Companions when he lived in Santa Rosa, California. His family raised seven dogs as volunteer puppy raisers. They would take dogs in at around 12 weeks old and train them for 30-plus commands over 12 to 18 months before the dogs would go to advanced training, where they were ultimately matched with someone in need.
“When you raise a Canine Companion puppy, you hear people say, ‘I could never give up a dog after 18 months,’” Cawood said. “While it’s undoubtedly hard, it becomes easier when you see the profound impact these dogs have on the people they serve.”
Mazzoni said the new location, boasting gorgeous grounds on 220 acres, will provide workshops for both clients and puppy raisers. Outreach events will be held on-site, and dogs will be placed with veterans there.
Norfolk resident Patricia Coale received her first service dog from Canine Companions in 2004. She’s now on her third dog, Mushu, a lab-golden retriever cross specially bred and trained to assist her. Coale uses a wheelchair, and Mushu helps her by opening and closing doors, turning lights on and off and picking up dropped items. Coale, a recreation therapist, said Mushu assists her at work.
“He helps me be more effective in my job,” she said. “My patients enjoy seeing him, and he’s involved in some of the recreation activities.”
Coale said that she’s taught her dog to play Connect 4 with the patients, which helps them with their fine motor skills. She’s also taught Mushu to pick up items such as shoes when she uses a laser pointer.
“Having a service dog gives me my independence. I don’t have to always ask my husband for help,” she said. “Having a dog really improves my quality of life.”
Mazzoni said one of the best things about the organization is the ripple of goodness it has in many lives.
“Our puppy raisers, volunteers and donors form a community that support each other and do so much good in their own communities. Our clients’ lives are transformed, becoming full of possibility and hope, supported by that community,” Mazzoni said. “Our wait list is long, and we are really excited to have our presence in Mathews to help us shorten that wait, helping more people with disabilities benefit from the impact of a service dog in their life.”
For more information, visit canine.org.
Lee Belote, jlbelote@verizon.net