Canine Companions for Independence

The Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of people with physical and developmental disabilities by providing trained companion assistance dogs and by providing continuing support to ensure the success of the working team. CCI’s assistance dogs are trained to respond to more than 50 specialized commands and become the physical extensions of their disabled partners by performing a variety of basic tasks. There are four types of assistance dogs: service dogs that perform practical tasks for a person with a physical or developmental disability; hearing dogs that are trained to alert people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to important sounds such as telephone, alarm clock, and smoke alarm; skilled companions that provide companionship and some physical tasks; and facility dogs that work with professional caregivers in environments where interaction with a trained dog can improve the physical, mental, or emotional health of participants.