Rick Hairston appointed to the Board of Directors of Assistance Dogs International North America

Rick Hairston, President and CEO of Canines for Service has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Assistance Dogs International North America.

Mr. Hairston will begin his four year term starting January 2014.  With the

Rick Hairston and
his service dog Titus

service dog industry being only 30-40 years old, the ability to help shape the future and define the standards of both service dogs and their trainers in the industry is very important.

Assistance Dogs International (ADI) is a coalition of not for profit assistance dog organizations. The purpose of ADI is to improve the areas of training, placement, and utilization of assistance dogs, staff and volunteer education, as well as educating the public about assistance dogs, and advocating for the legal rights of people with disabilities partnered with assistance dogs.

ADI has a comprehensive accreditation system and members have to be regularly assessed to ensure they meet the high standards expected of assistance dog programs.

Canines for Service is a non-profit corporation dedicated to empowering people with disabilities to achieve greater independence. The group trains and places certified service dogs with the help of volunteer foster families and military prisoners, provides pet therapy certification classes and helps children in our community improve their reading skills. .  Canines for Service continues to grow programs within the organization such as the Canines for Veterans, Canines for Therapy and Canines for Literacy and the service dog program. Service dogs, valued at over $40,000 each, assist people with disabilities to regain their independence with the help of the quality trained dogs that can complete over 350 tasks.  Since its inception in 1996, Canines for Service has provided over $8 million in services to our community. For more information, call 910-362-8181 or visit www.caninesforservice.org.

Raise the Roof

Raise the Roof

There comes a time for every nonprofit to ask the question, "Are we doing enough?". For Canines for Service, that time is now, but we cannot do it without you. 
How do we need you to help?  We need you to help us get into a larger facility. CFS has steadily grown and expanded over the years, providing more services within the same walls.   With a bigger facility we can begin a service dog training school, teach others how to train highly skilled service dogs while saving more shelter dogs, and serve more people faster to give them greater independence. The space we need is about 8,000 sq ft of office and warehouse; at least 6,000 sq ft of warehouse for the kennels, training area and the support services (like feed room and grooming room). New space will create an opportunity for people to learn new job skills, which is much needed in the community, and serve people with disabilities quicker. We will also have new volunteer opportunities to engage more volunteers in our mission. Your support would help us move into a larger facility in a long term lease. Let's expand the walls because together we can make a difference for people like Leila.

"Today Leila had a good day and wanted to go to the beach and give Ezra a chance to play in the water. When we arrived, Ezra surprised us and decided to lay down in the water as soon as his toes became wet. He really had a great time. He decided to take a series of short walks and let him walk in the water. When we went back to the car, we stopped at the shower station and rinsed him off. He and Leila both had a great day today, thanks for helping to make that happen. He is helping Leila regain her confidence and getting her out in the world again. “ - Doug

Our goal of $60,000 will provide for 12-months of rent plus utilities in our new space. Click here to donate.