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Super Pup Trainer

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Gwen Feldman with puppy Jersey VII

Canine Companions for Independence—a national nonprofit organization providing assistance dogs for children, adults and veterans with disabilities, announced that Plainview resident Gwen Feldman recently began raising her second assistance dog in-training for Canine Companions for Independence.

Puppy Jersey VII is a yellow Labrador retriever who will one-day know more than 40 advanced commands and be matched with a person with disabilities.

Volunteer Puppy Raisers are critically important to the work of Canine Companions for Independence. Puppy Raisers take the pups into their home at eight weeks of age, raising them, teaching them basic commands and socialization skills. The socialization is perhaps the most important, because the dogs need to be exposed to any and all types of surroundings.

With the special yellow capes they wear, these dogs are permitted to go to many public areas that family pets aren’t allowed. When the dogs reach about a year and a half old, they are returned to the Canine Companions for Independence regional headquarters in Medford. They begin six months of professional training with the organizations nationally renowned instructors, before they are matched with a child or adult with disabilities.

For more information about becoming a Puppy Raiser, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-2275.