Looking Back

Twenty-eleven has been a busy year for Canines for Service.  We would like to thank the countless hours our Volunteers dedicate to our mission.  Whether serving as Board members, raising a service dog in the Canines for Service or Canines for Veterans programs, providing animal assisted therapy in the Canines for Therapy program, being a literacy mentor in the Canines for Literacy program, helping us in the office or at events, we thank you.  To our donors, supporters and corporate sponsors, thank you.  Without your financial support we could not continue to serve the people who are waiting for their service dog, or train the therapy teams that visit in our communities.  

This year we served nine individuals waiting for their service dog, visited over 50 facilities for animal assisted therapy, and served several hundred children struggling with reading.  But, there are many more still waiting. Celebrating our 15th year anniversary is just the beginning.  Our goals for 2012 include partnering 12 to 15 individuals with their service dogs, expanding the Canines for Therapy and Canines for Literacy programs to Charleston, SC, achieving the U.S. Department of Labor Apprenticeship Program for service dog training in both South and North Carolina, and moving into a facility that will allow us to serve more people, offer job-training to Veterans and civilians and economic development in our community.  


We look forward to a bright and prosperous 2012 and we need you to make that happen.  Happy New Year!

Canines for Service Continues to Serve Our Veterans

With the mission complete in Iraq, our brave troops are returning home after serving and sacrificing so much.  Now more than ever, our service members need us. Many will continue in their military careers and many will embark on a career in the civilian world.  Many will be dealing with varying degrees of physical impairment, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder. 

Serving our Veterans is a priority to Canines for Service in the Canines for Veterans (CFV) program.  Providing a quality trained and Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant service dog to assist those with physical impairment, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the foundation of the CFV program.  By the ADA, a service dog must do work or perform tasks to benefit an individual with a disability; three key words, tasks, individual and disability.  A service dog is trained to serve one individual with specific skills to help that individual mitigate their disability.  From stabilizing a person when they are walking to retrieval of items, each service dog has been trained considering the needs and variations of the disabilities trained for.  

A service dog is not a companion animal (pet), therapy animal, social or emotional support animal; these are entirely different, do not meet the intent of the ADA and have no legal rights.  Another words a companion, therapy, social or emotional animal does not by law have access to public places such as restaurants, banks, grocery stores, shopping malls, airports/airplanes[1], etc.  Those that perpetrate their pet as a service dog are in violation of the law.

There is a lot of  information about people or groups providing “service” dogs for our Veterans.  The caution to our service members is if you are truly getting a service dog that you need or are you being provided a pet disguised as something it is not. 

Veterans and family members need to do their homework.  Ask questions. 

• ·         How is the service dog trained? 
• ·         How long is the training for the service dog?
• ·         What is the method of the training?
• ·         Are the dogs trained positively or with negative methods? 
• ·         How many hours of training does each dog have? 
• ·         Has the service dog had routine veterinary care and is it spayed or neutered?
• ·         Are the veterinary records provided?
• ·         What skills does the dog do?
• ·         Is there a fee for the service dog?
• ·         How is the training provided to the person receiving the dog? 
• ·         Is the person required to train the dog themselves?  
• ·         Is there follow-up by the service dog provider? 
• ·         What happens if there is an issue after the dog is received?   

Canines for Veterans stands ready to serve our Veterans as we have done since this program started in January 2008.   A Veteran receiving a service dog from our program can be assured they are receiving a dog trained in skills to mitigate their disability.  They will have individualized training with their service dog and have ongoing follow-up consultation and/or training.  The service dog CFV provides is ADA compliant and meets all intent of the law.  Our staff is available to answer questions before application, during the application process and after the receipt of the service dog.  

Are you a Veteran or do you know a Veteran who could benefit from a service dog? Contact us today to learn how CFV can help a Veteran regain their independence in 2012.

What are you waiting for? 

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[1] Aircraft carriers act

Giving Thanks

This season as many are celebrating with family and friends let us continue to remember the ones who serve our country every day being away from family and friends so that we can live in freedom.  

Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program
Sienna Rampvan

The American spirit remains and is evident in the people that give every day by volunteering in their community or donating to support groups that help others. This season Canines for Service is thankful for the continued support of our communities near and far.  For the financial supporters that continue to stand with us to change people’s lives; from the special gifts to the monthly supporters, we thank you.  To the thousands that rallied support this past August for the Toyota 100 Cars for Good program win, thank you.  To the corporate sponsors providing in-kind donations and financial support, thank you.  To our funders who have read through thousands of applications and choose to invest in the people we serve, in the work we do and our future, thank you.  To our volunteers, Board members, foster families, therapy teams, literacy mentors, office support and event planners, thank you.  Our mission would not be possible without each and every one of you.  

Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday season and for Canines for Service it marks a time of celebration of the 15 years of commitment and service we are thankful for.   Thank you to all of our supporters because without you, we could not continue to serve.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Exciting Times

There has been a lot happening at Carolina Canines and it has sometimes been a challenge to keep up.  Programs are growing, services are in demand.  We have brought several folks on board to help with the increasing program demands both in Wilmington, NC and Charleston, SC.

This week is exciting.  On Monday, the Toyota our supporters helped us to win in the Toyota 100 Cars for Good Program will be delivered.  The delivery is at 4:30 pm at Toyota of Wilmington.  Join us if you can to celebrate this great moment for our organization and the great work Toyota is doing.  On Tuesday, a film crew will be in Wilmington from Toyota.  Carolina Canines was selected as 1 of 3 of the winning organizations to be featured in a documentary about the 100 Cars for Good Program.  Awarding winning directors and producers will be working with a few volunteers and clients to share the work of Carolina Canines with the nation.  This is an incredible opportunity and one we are most grateful for.

The Harry Barker Canines for Veterans product lined launch and a benefit was held at Urban Country in Bethesda, MD.   Watch for some exciting news from Bethesda Row this holiday season.

If you have keep up with the local newspaper, Star News, you would have read about one of our foster families who is a UNCW student raising a service dog for us.  The article, UNCW student trains dogs for Canines for Service by Cece Nunn   demonstrated the dedication and work it takes to juggle a busy college curriculum while volunteering in the community.  

The schedule just keeps getting busier.  On Friday a benefit luncheon will be held at Carrabba's Italian Grill thanks to the proprietor and our supported Jonathan O'Donnell.  There are still a few seats available so call us at 910-362-8181 if you would like to join us to hear about the people we have served.  On Sunday, November 20th we'll be in Charleston, SC for a fundraiser sponsored by Charleston Referral Exchange, Pooches for Patriots.

Team training for our 50th placement begins just after Thanksgiving and will celebrate our 15th year anniversary.   None of this would be possible without YOU!  And, we thank you.

It's About the Quality

There are some days that it seems we are more about the business of a non-profit than assisting our clients.  With each step we take to spread the word about the work we do, we are raising awareness of the needs for quality trained service dogs and the need to support our mission financially so we can continue serving our clients.  

It is about the quality.  Providing a reliable service dog that meets the needs of the person receiving it.  While others may be producing more, we have taken care to develop the right skill sets for the disabilities we serve and making the difficult decisions along the way.  Our dogs know about 90 commands with a new set of commands that are specific for our Veterans living with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  These commands were developed in the Canines for Veterans program working with the prison handlers, many of which have PTSD.  Each command is specific to address a symptom of PTSD. 


As we share below the places we have been and the people we have met, each step we have taken is working towards building awareness of the quality of service dogs Canines for Service provides and the commitment to the people we serve. 

The first week in August we celebrated the newest Canines for Veterans service dog team in Charleston.  Sgt Chase Jones received service dog Elder to assist him with his mobility, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder.  After an intense week of training, Sgt Jones returned home with Service Dog Elder re-energized to regain his life with his wife and family. Struggling for years dealing with his injuries, he had isolated himself from the world and his loved ones.  Now with Elder by his side, Sgt Jones has a new leash on life and is ready to re-engage.

On August 12th, the Hairston’s headed to Washington DC to attend an Evening Parade at the Commandant of the Marine Corps home.  As an invited guest, they joined others to celebrate and honor the Honorable Colin Powell. An amazing display of military marching precision, the evening parade is full of tradition and inspires anyone to remember why we are proud Americans.

Then onto NYC to join our friends at Harry Barker Inc. at the NYC International Gift Market to help them launch the Canines for Veterans products. "Harry Barker is honored to sponsor Canines for Veterans," said Carol Perkins, founder of Harry Barker. "We are passionate about our products, and we are excited to begin a campaign with such a great organization. We want to help spread the word about Canines for Veterans because we love what they do, and we will do whatever we can to help the program grow.”

The Harry Barker Canines for Veterans product line features a collar and leash set, fetch balls, and a decorative tin filled with dog treats, all of which are original designs. The products will be available in stores in October 2011 and many retail locations will be holding events on Veterans Day to feature our program and the products.. Visit the Harry Barker Inc to learn more about the products and how your store can offer this exclusive product line to support our Veterans.

NYC was a full schedule but included some time to treat ourselves to a NY style pizza and the all-American past time of baseball at a Brooklyn Cyclones game. US Army Cpt. Leslie Smith, Ret. and her service dog Isaac were honored during the game and the Hairston's along with Service Dog Titus were introduced to the NY fans. The Brooklyn Cyclones stadium is the home of the Brooklyn Wall of Remembrance of the First Responders of 9-11.  A reminder to us why we started the Canines for Veterans program as the names and faces of those who gave their lives for others became real and looked back at us as we took a moment to reflex on those that sacrifice for others every day.

As we are reminded of the reason for the need for more service dogs for Veterans consider supporting Canines for Service to ensure the continued availability of quality trained service dogs for the people we serve, Veteran or not.