Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1118440
SiG MT 61 ree Great Falls families find rolly poly lile puppies irresistible. ese families have become Volunteer Puppy Raisers for the Canine Companions for Independence organization (CCI) headquartered in Santa Rosa, California. CCI has placed over 6,100 assistance dogs with children, veterans and adults with disabilities. Recipients—or forever owners—receive the service dog and follow-up contact entirely free. is organization breeds, raises, and trains Golden Retrievers, Labradors, or a mix of the two to become service dogs. Before training occurs, the dogs must be raised with boundless love during that puppy stage to become social and obedient companions. at is where the Volunteer Puppy Raisers do their part in the very important mission of improving the life of people with disabilities by giving them companions that provide more independence. Kim Monroe and her family started raising CCI puppies twenty years ago. She was working in the Rehabilitation Department of a hospital in Bellingham, Washington, where two therapists were Volunteer Puppy Raisers. eir puppies and stories influenced her to investigate the program. "Aer aending a graduation and seeing the impact the service dogs had on the new owners, I was hooked," said Monroe. When she moved to Great Falls, Monroe was soon recruiting other dog lovers to be Volunteer Puppy Raisers. Besides Monroe's family who are presently raising Natasha, a fourteen-month-old Labrador/Golden Retriever cross, Samantha and Dennis Deforest are raising Vanilla, a thirteen-month-old Golden Retriever, and Olivia and Will Strauss have Daniel, a seven-month-old Labrador Retriever. e puppies come from liers born in the Santa Rosa area. e puppies' names come from their lier. A leer of the alphabet is given to each lier in sequence. If a lier is born aer the "C" lier, then it's the "D" lier. e puppies in that lier have a name starting with the leer "D." As long as the dog is in the program, there won't be another dog by that name. Olivia Strauss with Daniel, Katie McGraw with Tommy, Will Strauss with Natasha, and Kim Monroe with Vanilla. Jamie McGraw, Katie's McGraw's mother, is talking to Tommy.