When she was 8 years old, Brianna and her parents were matched with Canine Companions Service Dog Emily. Brianna never imagined what a difference a service dog would make in her life.
“With Service Dog Emily’s help, we can totally take over the world,” she says with a smile. Now, Brianna almost never needs to ask her parents for help because Emily has her covered. Emily can open doors, carry bags and even pick up any money Brianna drops when they’re out shopping…even the dimes! Brianna and Emily’s partnership is love – unleashed!
“I knew I was in for it,” Steven recalls. “Ringo just rolled over on his back against my wheelchair and hammed it up. I fell in love at that moment.” Ringo is trained to pull Steven’s manual wheelchair up the hills around their San Francisco home, retrieve crutches and more. Ringo even helps Steven while training for wheelchair track and field events and juggling life as a proud dad.
Since 1987, Jeanette has relied on expertly trained Canine Companions service dogs to enhance her independence. After being matched in November 2021, Jeanette now has Service Dog Fiji to open the difficult sliding door to the yard, retrieve mail from the mailbox and follow Jeanette’s eyes to pick up specific items. “These service dogs give me the dignity and independence to survive my daily challenges and make anything possible,” she says proudly.