“It’s almost as if each dog is saying, ‘Look, we did it.'”
Graduation is a major milestone for every service dog.
After months of advanced training, the dogs are finally recognized for their hard work before beginning the next chapter of their lives with the people they will assist.
For its latest graduating class, Canine Companions decided to make that moment even more meaningful.
Before the dogs left, the organization arranged reunions with the puppy raisers who had cared for them during the earliest part of their journeys.
Service dogs are typically placed with volunteer puppy raisers at around 8 weeks old.
For roughly the next year and a half, those volunteers help socialize the puppies, introduce them to different environments and teach them essential obedience skills.
Eventually, the dogs leave their raisers to begin professional training.
By the time graduation arrives, many haven’t seen those familiar faces for quite a while.
That made the reunions especially emotional.
“The reunion between a dog and their puppy raiser is pure joy,” Morgan Walker, director of public relations and marketing at Canine Companions, said.
“There are wiggly butts, wagging tails, happy barks, wide eyes and doggie smiles, tears of pride and more puppy kisses than you can count.”
Some dogs recognized their former caregivers immediately and rushed toward them.
“Some dogs run and leap straight into their raiser’s lap, or practically tackle them with excitement,” Walker said. “You can’t help but smile and feel the love between them.”
The organization captured several of the touching reunions, including those involving Maddox, Elrich, Reid, Peanut, Eva, Nugget and Normandy.
In total, 75 dogs graduated from the program on August 14.
That meant dozens of puppy raisers had the opportunity to see the dogs they once cared for prepare to begin working lives of their own.
For the raisers, the moment carried a mixture of pride and emotion.
“It’s almost as if each dog is saying, ‘Look, we did it. Thank you for helping me get here,’” Walker said.
“For puppy raisers, it’s an incredibly proud and emotional moment: seeing the puppy they loved, guided and believed in begin a new chapter changing someone’s life.”
The graduations also come as Canine Companions highlights the role service dogs play during National Service Dog Month in September.
The organization currently has 1,241 puppies being raised by volunteers.
Someday, many of those dogs will reach the same milestone — completing their training, reuniting with the people who helped raise them and beginning the work they were prepared for all along.