Service Dog News

Enzo’s Purpose

December 14, 2020

Alexandra Padilla’s cardiologist recommended that she have a service dog so that she could have a little more independence, and make it easier for her to do things on her own. Padilla was matched with Enzo, a Golden Retriever medical alert service dog, in late March. Since then, she has come to visit him at […]

Read More

Service Animals On Planes

December 14, 2020

The days of pets flying with their owners in airplane cabins for free are coming to an end. The Department of Transportation issued a final rule Dec. 2 covering animals on airlines. It decided that only dogs can fly as service animals, and companions that passengers use for emotional support don’t count. The rule aims […]

Read More

Police Gets Service Dog

December 11, 2020

More than 10 years after losing his leg in the line of duty, police dispatcher Don Schultz is getting the service dog he needs thanks to a Utah-based nonprofit. In 2019, Schultz paid a Tampa area business nearly $10,000 to train and provide him with a service dog with the hope of regaining his independence. […]

Read More

Warrior Canine Connection

December 11, 2020

A Warrior Canine Connection dog has been honored with the AKC’s 2020 Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence in the service dog category. Beavercreek Ohio residents Ryan Garrison and Luke, a six-year-old Labrador Retriever and mobility service dog, were paired up by WCC in 2016. Garrison, who enlisted in the Air Force after the 9/11 […]

Read More

Little Boy Needs Alert Dog

December 11, 2020

A few months ago, we brought you the story of a Springfield boy who suffered a life-threatening seizure. His parents are now raising thousands of dollars to get him a sidekick that could be lifesaving, but they’re still a bit short on funds. “It’s feeling more real that we’re gonna make it,” said Carmen Cumba.Cumba […]

Read More

Family Gets Boy His Service Dog

December 10, 2020

A local family is looking to raise money for a service dog to help fill a critical need for their ten-year-old son. “It would just make him a little more comfortable in the world that he lives in. The world that he lives in– none of us understand,” admits mom Starla Stevenson. Her son Christian […]

Read More

A Service Dog’s Career

December 10, 2020

yellow Labrador retriever named Paul was born to be a Southeastern Guide Dogs superhero, but as fate would have it, that wasn’t to be. Barely out of puppyhood, the 30-month-old dog spent his formative months like every future guide dog, living for his first year or so with puppy raisers, and then heading back to […]

Read More

Veterans With Service Dogs

December 10, 2020

Veterans with service dogs in Chino Hills will no longer pay license fees for their animals after the city develops a program with the Inland Valley Humane Society. Assistant city manager Rod Hill told the council Nov. 10 that he has received numerous requests over the years to waive license fees for service dogs owned […]

Read More

Companions For Independence

December 10, 2020

Canine Companions for Independence (CCI.org) is a national non-profit that breeds, raises, trains and then gives service dogs, free of charge, to those that need them. I spoke with Aleeta Lehtinen, the president of the Old Dominion Chapter of CCI along with Bruce Hamon, a Vietnam War veteran who recently received Swain, an assistance dog, […]

Read More

Firefighters Response Canines

December 9, 2020

Three newly activated teams of chaplains certified as handlers of specially trained service dogs will offer added emotional support services to the employees of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, the agency announced Tuesday. “We are excited to introduce our three canines,” San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said. “They are highly trained and available to […]

Read More