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RICHMOND, Va. – Canine Companions for Independence (CCI.org) is a national nonprofit organization that breeds, breeds, trains, and then provides service dogs, free of charge, to those in need.
I spoke with Aleeta Lehtinen, the president of the CCI Old Dominion Chapter along with Bruce Hamon, a Vietnam War veteran who recently welcomed Swain, a service dog, via Zoom on Wednesday to learn more about this extraordinary organization. and what we can all do. to support them.
Lehtinen says that lab-golden retriever mixes can perform many different services.
“It depends on what you need,” he said. “But the types of dogs we train are service dogs, skillful companions, so children’s service dogs, as well as listening dogs, facility dogs, and then our newer type, which we’re actually getting in Virginia, it is our dog with PTSD. “
Lehtinen says that these highly trained companions are more than just pets.
“In her everyday life in general, she knows the comfort that a pet can bring her,” Lehtinen said. “It’s great, but these dogs are trained to do so much more. They can open a door for someone, they can take out dirty laundry, they can listen to someone who cannot hear. Let’s say your phone rings, they can notify you, if your phone rang or the doorbell, depending on what sound it is, they’re actually trained to interpret, and notify your manager. “
For Chesterfield native Bruce Hamon, Swain’s arrival has been nothing short of transformative.
“It means that I can get out of my condo more often,” Hamon said. “It means that, for me, I can feel more comfortable and in public. One of the most important services he provides me is waking me up at the beginning of a recurring nightmare from my Vietnam PTSD. I have that kind of thing sporadically and their job is to wake me up before I’m fully immersed in it so I can sleep better at night and not have to deal with those things. “
Hamon says that CCI has given him more than he could ever give back.
“It’s difficult to put into words,” he said. “I am so thankful that they provided me with this dog and that it made such a difference in my life. You know, I used to sit at home and wonder if I wanted to go out and it made me anxious. Sometimes it didn’t go out and now I feel much more comfortable doing it. And when I walk into an important store where there is, I call them affectionately, herds of people, I don’t feel like I have to put my back against the wall.
Hamon says his new dog knows what to do in almost every situation.
“Swain is trained to come between me and people, and that gives me a source of comfort,” Hamon said. “It means that my life is much fuller, much more enjoyable. And I’m looking to do everything I can to help get that message across to other people. “
If you are interested in learning more, visit CCI.org.
“There are numerous ways to help out locally through our chapter,” Lehtinen said. “The most important thing is that we really raise the puppies. So we get these puppies at eight weeks of age. And we teach them 30 different commands. So if you want to be a puppy breeder, you can go to cci.org and fill out an application to become a puppy breeder. You can also donate money through the website. Every year we have a 5K that we do annually in September. But just spread the word, because the more people know about service dogs, the more people who need them can get them. “
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