By Miriam Raftery

(Canine Companions for Independence)

April 1, 2009 (San Diego County) – Disabled seniors and organizations that serve senior citizens can obtain free service dogs thanks to a grant provided by the Gary and Mary West Foundation. Canine Companions for Independence will provide dogs to help seniors throughout San Diego County with tasks such as opening doors, retrieving objects, and even alerting hearing impaired owners to ringing phones or doorbells. “CCI assistance dogs can help seniors in their homes or at treatment centers. We’d like to reach as many people as possible!” said Linda Valliant, CCI Southwest Executive Director in Oceanside.

“I really can’t imagine my life today or any time in the future without a CPI dog,” said Peter Wolcott of Santee, who relies on his golden retriever, Shelton, to fetch items and more. “It has enriched my life immeasurably, not only from the assistance aspect but also from the companionship aspect.” View a video by Rob Constantine of Wolcott and his CCI dog, Shelton: