Raising a Puppy for a Critical Cause

Raising a Puppy for a Critical Cause

By CatiAdele Slater

Flint X, a black lab retriever cross, came to Middleburg in March as an eight-week-old pup. Little did he know he was about to embark on a journey that would lead him to live a life serving a human as a service dog.

Canine Companion for Independence (CCI) was founded in 1975 and the nonprofit organization breeds, trains, and pairs dogs with people living with disabilities, helping them lead a life of greater independence.

I was introduced to CCI at a young age when my sister Cassella started training her first dog thanks to Colleen Roberts. Since then, I’ve seen the community embrace the program and the number of volunteer puppy raisers grow exponentially.

My own family has raised eight dogs, Flint being the ninth. We’ve all learned so much from each experience.

A girl and her puppy.

Every puppy starts the journey in a similar way. Their training with the volunteer puppy raiser lasts just over a year. This entails routine veterinary appointments, regular socializing in the community, and twice a month puppy class.

Flint also spends time at Middleburg Montessori School interacting with children of all ages both in the classroom and outside.

A volunteer puppy raiser signs up to care for the first year, including some financial responsibility as well as supervising its overall development. And sponsorships help, as well.

Since working at Holtzman Vogel, Baran Torchinsky, Josefiak PLLC in Haymarket since June, 2021 I knew their love for dogs and community engagement made the law office a great environment. With that in mind I approached the managing partner, Virginia Senator Jill Vogel, and told her about my interest in becoming a puppy raiser for CCI.

I explained a bit about the program, outlined my responsibilities, then asked if the firm would be interested in sponsoring his basic training. They immediately jumped on board and when Flint arrived, he was a daily office worker. Spending many hours there allowed him to become socialized to that setting.

From contact with humans, dealing with noises, being introduced to different spaces, he should be extremely comfortable supporting his future companion wherever they live, work and operate daily. The law firm and the school settings have been extremely valuable in his training process.

In Middleburg, we have puppy class the first and third Wednesday of each month hosted by the Middelburg Montessori School in the winter months, and Foxstone Estate when the weather is nicer.

Colleen Roberts, who was a trainer of championship ponies before she began working with CCI, volunteers her time and expertise. She teaches the puppies about 30 basic commands—things like sit, stay, heel, under, over, back, up, speak, jump, shake and down.

Flint and I are extremely grateful for all the support from our community volunteers and sponsors. It’s going to be difficult to say goodbye, but knowing how much Flint will mean to the life of his future owner makes it all worthwhile.

All grown up.