Thanks to donors like you, we placed a record number of 366 teams in 2016 — an average of one placement per day! In each of the last several years, placements have significantly increased. In fact, since 2013, they’ve increased by 44%.
It takes nearly 30,000 donors, puppy raisers and other volunteers to provide our services at no cost to our recipients. We thank you for your partnership with us.
5,000 Matches
Jason enlisted in the Navy shortly after graduating from high school. He spent nine years on active duty, including time where he instructed fellow service members for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE), providing training in evading capture and survival skills. But nothing prepared him for an accident years later that left him paralyzed.
Jason’s graduation with Service Dog Sandoval marked a milestone for Canine Companions as we celebrated our 5,000th assistance dog placement.
“Since being matched, Brianna and Emily have become inseparable,” says Wendy. “Brianna has become more confident. She is more assured when speaking.”
“One day I was cooking and forgot about the food on the stove. The food was boiling over,” explains Steve. “Luna alerted me to this and kept me from starting a stove fire.”
“Everything I do now is happier,” says Steven about his Canine Companions service dog, Ringo IV. “He has the perfect amount of goofiness and work ethic.”
“He teaches me to be a better physical therapist. I could not imagine performing my job without him,” says Teresa. “I feel very blessed to have a Canine Companions facility dog and to be able to share him daily with children with special needs as part of my work.
“I lost my legs in Afghanistan while trying to carry others to safety. Now it is their memory, their courage, their sacrifice that carries me forward.”
“Knoxville is exactly what I was looking for: a legitimate service dog who was bred and raised to handle everything in stride,” explains U.S. Army Sergeant Stefan. “He knows over 40 commands to help make life easier. In those situations when I don’t feel comfortable with my disability, Knox is there to make me feel more comfortable.”
No Job is Too Big, No Pup is Too Small!
“I’ve had the opportunity to see firsthand how the incredible Canine Companions assistance dogs can change lives. We are honored to be able to help raise awareness for this extraordinary organization.”
—Pam Kaufman, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products, Nickelodeon
Thank you to the organizations that provided support to Canine Companions in 2016 through cause marketing, partnership, in-kind donations and research.
“To meet Richard and to hear how Juju was going to change Richard’s life — it made us not just glad that we did it, but it made us want to do it again,” says Andy.
Andy, Kimberly and their children are raising their second puppy, Cal. Over 1,600 volunteer puppy raisers and breeder caretakers are crucial to the foundation and success of our assistance dogs and our ability to provide assistance dogs and services free of charge. See the list of these extraordinary people in the 2016 annual report.
As the 44% growth in team placements over the past four years can attest, we are successfully helping more people with disabilities around the nation with our program operations.
Key to driving this growth is the generous support from our donors and corporate partners. Your generosity helped us increase operating income 29.5% over 2015. We are grateful to have such great supporters and thankful for your unwavering commitment to our mission.
Thank you to the 27,680 individuals, foundations, organizations and businesses for providing philanthropic support for Canine Companions’ life-changing mission. To give, please visit cci.org/donate.
“I contribute to a lot of charities, but with Canine Companions I actually get to see with my own eyes what my support is going to.”
— Ross Biddell, World War II veteran
Connect with Canine Companions
1-800-572-BARK (2275)
Credits:
cci.org