If you have read my column over the years, you know my backyard is filled with cats and dogs. And you know that I am a puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence. We are raising our 14th puppy right now. Devlin IV is an amazing 10-month-old Lab Golden cross now tipping the scales at 60 lbs. We got him when he was 8-weeks-old in June of 2015. Devlin and his sister Derby were shipped into the Indianapolis airport where we picked up our new service-dogs-to-be.

The adventure of raising a puppy that is not yours is a great journey. We pour huge amounts of love into them knowing they will someday leave us for advanced training. I get to potty train Devlin, feed, train, exercise, socialize and play with him while knowing I will return him to our training center in November of 2016. At the beginning it is all about shaping the pup to trust a human and sealing the human/ canine bond, plus house manners. At 12 weeks we class at First Friend K9. The next months consist of Puppy and Novice classes in addition to lots of exposure to new and different environments and experiences. By 6 months the puppy is ready to go to work, church, movies, and dinner with their puppy raiser so they can begin the myriad of situations that a trained service dog will encounter.

The news flash that I want to share is. . . .I am honored to have my name given to a puppy. There is now a "Brandt" puppy that will begin his journey to become a service dog. Like so much karma, the world is really a very small, connected network. The breeder/caretaker, Sharon Mosbaugh, lives near Santa Rosa, CA. She and her husband moved from Carmel, IN where she had raised a puppy for Canine Companions for Independence. Since they moved near the national headquarters, she qualified to care for breeder pups that are selected from service dogs in training. The designated male or female dog is transported from their training center and takes up residence with a breeder/caretaker who oversees date weekend, pregnancy, whelping and the first 8 weeks of puppy life. Sharon and her husband have been the doulas for 10 litters!

The service dog program is showered with all kinds of miracles. . . wonderful volunteers, quality, well-trained dogs, and grateful recipients who have their lives changed. Canine Companions gives qualified candidates their dog FREE and all a person with a disability needs to do is apply and then attend a two-week training class at the nearest training center (there are 6 nationwide). The team (person and dog) also receives continual support during the time of service. Adults and older children with disabilities such as deafness, autism, mobility issues, CP, MS, MD, downs syndrome, paralysis, give you an idea of who might benefit from this amazing partnership. They even place dogs for courtroom and facility therapy.

If you want more information about Canine Companions for Independence, go to cci.org, join the cci-indy yahoo group, or you can stop by Backyard Birds where we are always eager to share our story. Our Facebook Backyard Birds Indy will keep you posted as "Brandt" grows up!