By Christina Macone-Greene, Staff Writer :

Something special happened on Aug. 22, at the Mission San Luis Rey Serra Center in Oceanside. A total of 23 graduates, ranging from children and adults, active and veteran military personnel, formally accepted their trained dogs from Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).

Each graduate seemed to literally glow with overwhelming admiration for the new dog in their life, as a couple hundred guests -- including CCI alumni -- looked on.

“Canine Companions enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships in the Southwest; today, that number will be increased by 23.”

During the ceremony, those with disabilities garnered new hope and possibilities with a new canine companion by their side. One graduate, David Van Gorder, said that CCI offered care and sensitivity, while demonstrating an overall respect through the acceptance of others.

“One of my greatest honors was to have three veterans of the Iraqi war with me,” said Van Gorder, referring to his in-depth, two-week training program at CCI. “These men paid the ultimate price for our freedom…and they should be recognized for what they did for us.”

Van Gorder went on to say that disabilities create different kinds of challenges for people, so CCI dogs come as a huge blessing.

Another graduate, Michelle Aguirre, an activities director with Aegis at Shadowridge, took the stage to officially receive their facility dog, Winnie the Pooch. This retirement community located in Oceanside welcomes their new dog with open arms.

“I had the opportunity to go through training and graduate with the most remarkable and intelligent dog,” Aguirre said. “We’re honored to have Winnie here -- Winnie’s most important job at Aegis is putting smiles on so many faces everyday.” Following the ceremony, Aguirre said she realized how she and the other graduates had gone through one of the most amazing experiences in their lives.

Katie Malatino, the public relations coordinator for Southwest CCI, said this particular graduation was a huge accomplishment. It celebrated its largest graduating class and included three veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“This was also a milestone for our organization because, in 2007, Canine Companions launched the Veterans Initiative to increase placements of assistance dogs with disabled veterans,” Malatino said. CCI, which has a national breeding program, uses Labradors, Golden Retrievers and a cross of both breeds. Generally, it takes two years to train a CCI dog.

For the first year and a half of the dog’s life, they live with talented puppy raisers who socialize them in public and teach them basic commands. “From there, the dogs are returned to one of our regional centers where they live on campus for approximately six months and are taught by staff Instructors to perform up to 50 commands that help our clients on a daily basis,” Malatino shared. “They help with physical tasks like retrieving dropped items, opening and closing doors and switching lights on and off.”

For clients living with developmental disabilities, Malatino said their CCI dogs are trained to motivate, soothe, and assist as social bridges to peers.

Each program department, Malatino explained, matches the right dog with the right client. Its goal is to make a lifelong match. During the two-week client/dog training program, teams are trained through lectures, field trips, and practical and written exams, Malatino said.

“Also noteworthy is that after our clients graduate with their dogs and bring them home, CCI offers ongoing support services for the life of the human-canine team,” Malatino said. “If questions or concerns arise, our staff is always a phone call away.” Graduate workshops are also offered on an ongoing basis.

At the close of the summer 2009 graduation ceremony, all agreed on one thing: a Canine Companion is priceless.

For more information on CCI and its upcoming Canine Companions Invitational Golf Classic on Oct. 16, call 800-752-BARK or visit www.cci.org or www.ccigolf.org.

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