wide range of disabilities, free of charge. Each assistance dog starts as a puppy that needs to be raised in a safe, loving home until they are mature enough to begin professional training.
Q&A with Miller-Chang
Preparing a Puppy Congratulations to this Dublin dog By Mallory Arnold
The Dublin-based Miller-Chang family has welcomed a temporary student, Jennifer, into their home, and received a lot of slobbery kisses and adorable wagging as repayment. Corrinna Miller-Chang is involved in Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a non-profit that provides highly trained assistance dogs for people with a 32 • April/May 2020
Dublin Life: Why did you decide to participate in CCI? Corrinna Chang: I found out about CCI while looking for local volunteer opportunities. I was really moved by the stories of the people who benefit from receiving an assistance dog and wanted to contribute in some way. After a lot of thought and discussion with my husband and daughters, we decided to become first-time puppy raisers for CCI. DL: What was it like meeting Jennifer for the first time? CC: My older daughter and I went to the training center for the North Central Region, currently located in Delaware, Ohio, on Oct. 31, 2018, to pick up Jennifer. (The North Central Regional Training Center is currently building a new, stateof-the-art facility in New Albany, Ohio). She was an energetic, 10-pound yellow lab-golden cross and we adored her immediately. It happened to be Halloween on the day we brought her home, so there was a lot more commotion than normal that evening due to trick-or-treating. Jennifer handled it very well and spent a lot of time being cuddled by everyone in the family. When she was a puppy, she had a more noticeable touch of pink on her muzzle, just below her nose, which always seemed to me like she had just dabbed on a little lipstick. It was really endearing. DL: What’s Jennifer like? Is she different than most dogs? CC: Jennifer is very easy-going and adapts well to whatever is going on around her. She is content to take naps on her dog bed while I’m working at home and she is also happy to go on long walks in the neighborhood or accompany me on outings to the grocery store or library. Puppy raisers are responsible for socializing the puppy and exposing them to different environments to teach them to maintain good manners while out in public. She has to learn to ignore distractions and keep her focus on her handler. My husband and I have taken her to restaurants and when we get up to leave and Jennifer emerges from underneath the table, I always enjoy the looks of surprise and comments from people around us that they didn’t realize that she was there. www.dublinlifemagazine.com
