Canine Companions Puget Sound

Mission

National nonprofit Canine Companions is celebrating 50 years of empowering people with disabilities to live with greater independence — and it all started with a service dog named Abdul. Canine Companions invented the concept of the modern service dog in 1975 and has since placed more than 8,500 expertly trained dogs at no cost to clients, entirely supported by donations. Today, as America’s first and largest provider of service dogs, Canine Companions leverages seven locations across the country to serve adults, children and veterans with disabilities as well as professionals working in health care, law enforcement and educational settings in all 50 states.

Lead with Independence

Canine Companions is leading the service dog industry so our clients and their dogs can live with greater independence. We provide service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings. Our dogs are expertly trained in over 40 tasks, including retrieving dropped items, opening doors, and can even assist with making purchases. A Canine Companions service dog not only assists with physical tasks but also provides meaningful companionship. Canine Companions does not charge for service dogs or the lifetime of ongoing support they provide to the service dog teams. As a result, they depend on private funding through donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and community organizations. A Washington Give Big gift of $10,000 would fund the cost of a local resident’s two-week training course where they will be matched with their own service dog at our new Puget Sound Field Office in SODO Seattle.

Local Story of Independence - Dana with Service Dog Franz

People often say someone has “lived many lives” to explain an unexpected or challenging path. For Dana, that sentiment rings true. She has face more hardships than most, and her ability to keep going speaks to an extraordinary depth of resilience that ultimately led her to being matched with Service Dog Franz.

Dana was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive tumor known as a Desmoid tumor when she was just 26, which eventually led to her needing to amputate her right leg. Since then, Dana has proven in a multitude of ways that independence can look different for everyone. 

“I was terrified of being treated like I was less of a person because of my disability,” says Dana.

Now 52, she has gone from racing marathons in a wheelchair and with forearm crutches to hiking the Olympic Mountains, excelling in CrossFit, founding and leading two nonprofits, and escaping a domestic violence relationship. Dana has continually pushed herself to survive and succeed, no matter the circumstances. It wasn’t until recently that she allowed herself to ask for support, taking the courageous step of applying for a service dog from Canine Companions.

It took over 25 years of living with a disability for Dana to accept that she was worthy of receiving help. After dedicating so much of her life to helping others and defying the odds that were stacked against her, the idea of accepting a service dog at no cost was not an easy feat. It turns out that Franz has been instrumental in her healing journey.

Franz picks up dropped items, tugs open doors and drawers, carries her trash, to-go containers and crutches, and most importantly to Dana, is a conduit to community.

“When we lock eyes with each other, I feel such an amazing bond that reinforces a feeling of worth and belonging that I didn’t have before joining the Canine Companions family.”