The continuing story of Ruiz, the CCI dog in training, comes to a happy and successful ending

Since Ruiz the service dog trainee went away to advanced training last August, I have been getting monthly reports on his progress. He played rough with other dogs and protected his toys. He also learned his lessons well and was easy for anyone to handle. He was always very adaptable to any given situation or person.

In December I received a report saying six people had been invited to Team Training, and that Ruiz was eligible to be there as well. That means that six applicants for a Canine Companion for Independence (CCI) had been invited to Ohio in early February to be teamed with an assistance dog. For the first day and a half the six people, one adult and five children, would interact with nine dogs while CCI staff observed and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of both. On the second day of team training each person would be assigned a dog, leaving three dogs to wait until the next team training to be paired.

The suspense of wondering whether Ruiz would make it all the way through advanced training was further heightened by the suspense of whether or not he would make a match at Team Training. His trainer told me she felt good about his making a match, as he was easily handled by anyone. I would receive a phone call on the second afternoon of team training to let me know how it went.

Ruiz made a match! (I was told he was everyone's favorite.) He was paired with seven-year-old Brianna McDanel, who is the Muscular Dystrophy Goodwill Ambassador for Northern Illinois. She is artistic and on the honor roll at school, where she's in second grade. She uses a power wheelchair and now has a big, wonderful, golden dog at her side. Brianna and her parents sometimes make public appearances on behalf of MDA, and now Ruiz will go with them.

During Team Training the McDanel family learned the 48 commands that Ruiz knows. They learned a little about natural canine behavior by watching the pack play when all the dogs came together. The family also had homework every night. While they learned how to work with Ruiz, he learned how to work with them. For example, he stays on Brianna's left side because her caretaker is on her right side. There are fun times in Team Training in the form of a field trip and relay races. I saw Ruiz receive a raw egg in his mouth to carry without breaking it.

On graduation day the puppy raisers are reunited with their dog that they haven't seen for the six months or more that the dog has been in advanced training. We are given a half hour alone with the dog before we met their new family. Ruiz recognized me, and his powerful tail thumped a happy greeting. In the few weeks before Team Training he finally injured his tail by whacking it on a fence. It has been difficult to heal because he's so happy and it's always wagging.

I almost didn't recognize Ruiz despite his size (he's always the biggest). I'd forgotten how really big he is. His nose was no longer black, and his fur had darkened. It was wonderful to see him again, and I gave him tummy rubs and took pictures. I introduced him to Ruthie, my current puppy-in-training.

We left the dogs and went next door for brunch and to meet the families who received the puppies we raised. Ruiz's trainer introduced me to Brianna and her parents. I gave them an album I made of Ruiz's puppy pictures and an issue of each BR Gazette in which he appeared. They surprised me by giving me a small album of their time at Team Training and pictures of Ruiz in their hotel suite. I've been carrying it around to show people.

The graduation ceremony included recognition of the 29 puppies being turned in for advanced training. Renner and Cash, two puppies from here, were included in that group. The recipients of CCI dogs were introduced one by one. The puppy raiser brings the dog to the stage and turns the leash over to them. It's rather emotional. As Ruiz was reunited with the McDanels his tail started to wag and then his whole rear end started going with it. I was so happy that he was happy to be back with them.

I have been very fortunate to have the CCI experience as it should be on my first try. Graduation is never a sure thing. At 37%, the CCI graduation rate is worse than IPS. In Ruiz's graduating class, only four of the nine dogs offered graduated because two of the people could not complete graduation. The other five dogs will be offered in the next round in May. Brianna's mother spoke for the graduating class and reminded us they get "the best of the best" dogs. She spoke of how the dogs will change their lives: instead of being the girl with the wheel chair, Brianna will be the little girl with the big dog. She said that when the kids received their dogs, each mother felt a sense of relief and other feelings they could not put into words.

The question CCI puppy raisers are asked the most is, "Don't you become attached? How can you give the dog up?" The answer is, "How can you not give the dog back when you see how it transforms someone else's life?"