DogFest Northwest 2021 Supporting Canine Companions
DogFest Northwest 2021

About DogFest Northwest 2021

Join us for DogFest Northwest on October 30th at 10am PT!  Click here or scroll down to watch.

This fun virtual event will bring together participants from our entire region including Northern California, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska.

DogFest supports the mission of Canine Companions to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by providing expertly trained service dogs free of charge. These dogs make a profound impact through the jobs they do like opening doors, picking up dropped items, alerting to sounds and much more.

DogFest Northwest is a Halloween-themed, canine-centric virtual event! Hear from our clients and meet their life-changing service dogs, see adorable future Canine Companions service dogs, follow along with festive activities and participate in our canine costume contest! 

Help Us Reach Our Goal 

For every goal milestone reached we will share an adorable video of dogs from the Northwest Region on our Facebook page as a thank you for all of your hard work! 

•    $50,000 - The Northwest Region dogs in professional training.

•    $100,000 - The Northwest Region dogs in professional training enjoying a pool party.

•    $150,000 - Northwest Region dogs in professional training having a blast during community run.

•    $200,000 - The Northwest Region dogs in professional training enjoying a special treat.

•    $250,000 - The Northwest Region dogs in professional training creating a thank you card.

•    $313,000 – “A Day in the Life” of the Northwest Region dogs in professional training.


Gather your friends, family and dogs for a day of fun! The human-canine bond is truly unique. On our happiest and hardest of days, our dogs love us endlessly. They are our everyday heroes in so many ways. Whether as service dogs, working dogs or pet dogs, there are countless tales of man's best friend doing amazing things. Join the fun at your local DogFest or participate virtually as we celebrate the joy dogs bring to our lives. Registration is free. Fundraising is encouraged. There are sponsorship, volunteer and vendor opportunities too!

When registering, be sure to indicate you are bringing a dog to attend virtually to get your free DogFest dog bandana mailed to you. Then fundraise to qualify for some fun DogFest swag! 

Don’t miss out on DogFest. Join the fun!

Date

Starts at:  October 30, 2021 12:00 PM
Ends at:  October 30, 2021 1:00 PM

Location

,

Contact

Jamie Roach
(707) 577 - 1777

Gather your friends, family and dogs for a day of fun!

DogFest is Canine Companions' national signature event, supporting the mission of Canine Companions to enhance the lives of people with disabilities by providing expertly trained service dogs free of charge. These service dogs make a profound impact through the jobs they do like opening doors, picking up dropped items, alerting to sounds and much more. Your participation makes a profound impact.

Our dogs love us endlessly, and the human-canine bond is powerful! Whether as service dogs, working dogs or pet dogs, there are countless tales of our best friends doing amazing things. We invite you to join the fun at your local DogFest or participate virtually as we gather to celebrate the joy dogs bring to our lives. Registration is free. Fundraising is encouraged. 

There are sponsorship [LINK], volunteer [LINK] and vendor [LINK] opportunities, too!

Join us for DogFest!

Join us on Saturday, October 30 at 10am PT for DogFest Northwest, a canine-centric, Halloween-themed event benefiting Canine Companions! Hear from our clients and meet their life-changing service dogs, see adorable Canine Companions puppies, follow along with festive activities and check out our canine costume contest!​

Why We Fundraise

Canine Companions transforms the lives of people with disabilities by providing expertly trained service dogs. Our dogs perform practical tasks that enhance independence and reduce reliance on others. They aren't just the eyes and ears, hands and legs of their human partners, they're also goodwill ambassadors and often, our best friends. A student achieves their dreams of attending college. A veteran gets a good night sleep. A patient can endure an additional procedure. Lives are transformed after being matched and working with a Canine Companions service dog.

According to the U.S. Census, nearly 1 in 4 people in the U.S. have a disability. While it costs approximately $50,000 to raise and train every Canine Companions service dog and provide ongoing support to the human-canine team, each dog is provided to the recipient completely FREE of charge. Canine Companions has placed over 6,800 service dogs, but more than 400 people with disabilities are still waiting for a match.  

Our service dogs open up new opportunities and spread incredible joy. By raising funds through DogFest, you support our mission and the people we serve. Thank you.

Canine Companions in the Northwest Region 

  • ​711 active graduates 
  • 265 active puppy raisers 

Stories of Independence

Faith with Service Dog Claude 

About 5 years ago, 19-year-old Faith of Sacramento was diagnosed with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS) a medical condition that causes her nerves to fire randomly, causing pain throughout her body.

Last year amidst the pandemic, Faith was matched with Service Dog Claude free of charge. Claude is expertly trained in over 40 commands to help enhance Faith’s independence, and having him makes it possible for Faith to do more with less fatigue. With a wagging tail, Claude happily picks up dropped items like Faith’s cellphone and keys for her, opens and closes doors and drawers, turns on and off lights and more.

The physical benefits of having a service dog have been more than Faith could have imagined. “Not only has Claude been a light in my life emotionally, but also physically.” Faith shares, “He’s just happy to go out and play or go on a walk. Having Claude has pushed my physical limits and helps strengthen me. Because of the exercise I get with him, I’ll be able to stay out of a wheelchair longer.”

Arash with Service Dog Tortilla

Berkeley, CA native and San Francisco Bay Area resident Arash's life changed in 2012 he broke his neck after falling from a third-story balcony, resulting in a spinal cord injury. Now a writer, speaker and advocate for people with spinal cord injuries, Arash lives with his wife, Brita, and their two young children.

In 2018, Arash was matched with Canine Companions Service Dog Tortilla free of charge. Tortilla picks up dropped items for Arash, opens and closes doors and drawers and even pulls him in his manual wheelchair, an invaluable skill that helps protect his shoulders from overuse. Tortilla also offers constant companionship during what has been a lonelier year than usual.

Megan with Service Dog Pumpkin

Megan lives in Portland, OR with her husband and two stepchildren. Trauma Megan experienced during her time in the National Guard left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and she applied for a dog through a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study. 

As part of the study, Megan was matched free of charge with Canine Companions Service Dog Pumpkin, who is trained in over 40 commands to help mitigate her PTSD symptoms. Pumpkin interrupts Megan’s dissociating behaviors to help keep her present and grounded, performs “front” and “back” commands, providing more physical space for her in public and more commands designed to mitigate her symptoms of PTSD. Pumpkin even intuitively lays on her bathroom floor whenever she showers so Megan feels safe in a place that is extremely triggering for her. Megan shares, “I went from not being able to leave my house three to four days out of the week. Then Pumpkin comes along, and I think maybe the world isn’t so scary.”

Luke with Service Dog Rummy

26-year-old Luke of Truckee, CA has always been an athlete. Ten years ago, Luke was in a snowboarding accident that caused a spinal cord injury, leaving him unable to walk. Now he uses a wheelchair for mobility and continues to participate in the snow sports he loves, albeit a bit differently.

In 2019, Luke was matched with Service Dog Rummy free of charge. Since then, Luke has been able to keep up his active lifestyle thanks to the life-changing assistance Rummy provides. Luke shares, “Rummy helps me daily with picking things up, pulling me in my wheelchair, turning on and off lights, and so much more. His ability to pull me is nothing short of amazing and it helps save my shoulders from overuse, allowing me to keep up with my active lifestyle.”

Sponsor Spotlight

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors 

Star One Credit Union is proud to be a Pick of Litter sponsor for DogFest Northwest, generously donating $15,000 to support the event. 


Would you like to see your company spotlighted? Click here to learn more about becoming a sponsor. 


Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors