Sharing the Care with Canine Assistants

There are three primary principles behind the Bond-Based Approach^® developed by Canine Assistants founder Jennifer Arnold.

Dogs, like people, are social animals. Social animals naturally conform to the standards set by their social group. By asking dogs to become part of our social group, we can easily influence their behavior and demeanor. 

Dogs, like pre-verbal children, form strong attachments to their primary caregivers. By ensuring this attachment is a secure one, we can give dogs the confidence and guidance they need to flourish in the human world.

Canine Assistants dogs are taught to do more than retrieve dropped objects, turn lights on and off, and open doors. They learn to answer “yes” and “no” questions, recognize vocabulary words (including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs) and count objects. But most importantly, the dogs learn to trust people — and to trust themselves.

We caught up with Gary Arnold of Canine Assistants to learn more about the amazing work done by the nonprofit’s expert instructors and volunteers. Enjoy an in-depth look at what makes the organization and their service dogs so special, and learn how you can support their mission.

At Canine Assistants, our primary value statement is “We Are Kind,” and I believe that three-word sentence captures the primary way in which Canine Assistants differs from other organizations. Our values mandate that we treat our co-workers, volunteers, donors, clients and animals with the utmost respect. In some other working dog programs, I’ve often seen kindness extend to everyone but the dogs themselves. I’m proud that our dogs are always treated with the same level of care and concern we extend to our clients. 

The dogs who make the best assistants are those who feel secure and enjoy their work. They’re comfortable in many situations and put others at ease, too. These dogs also attract positive attention when they’re with their partners, which helps break the social ice.

Certain breeds, like golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers and golden doodles, are naturals at this work given their positive personalities and affinity for people. 

We want to change the way people think about dogs and about the working dog industry as a whole. And of course, we want to reach more people. So far, we’ve paired more than 2,000 dogs with people who need them, but we want to go even further. 

These dogs change lives every day, in all different ways. Not just the ways you would expect. For example, we have a reading program where children who are having trouble reading at school can read to the assistant dogs. It helps them become more comfortable and confident while reading. Another way our dogs help is as therapy dogs for people awaiting surgery or recovering in hospital. Even the surgeons themselves request time with the dogs to keep them calm and reduce their stress. The things these dogs can do are truly amazing.

Individuals can find local and national Canine Assistants volunteer opportunities by visiting canineassistants.org and clicking on the volunteer link. Our volunteers go through specific classes and are assigned mentors to help them understand our service dog teaching methodology. They help Canine Assistants with a wide variety of tasks, including fostering and acclimating dogs to new environments, cleaning, fundraising and helping with recipient camps. 

Financial contributions are always welcome and appreciated. Individuals have the option to make monetary donations for a specific demographic, age range and geographical location for a future service dog recipient. Our puppy sponsorship program is a great way to sponsor a dog and follow him or her through the teaching process. Anyone interested in giving a financial donation can send a check to our headquarters at 3160 Francis Rd. Milton, GA 30004 or donate through our website.

We also accept supplies donations. We have online wish lists for specific veterinary items and cleaning and operating supplies. Some frequently used items include creamy peanut butter, squeeze cheese, printing paper, puzzle toys, 1-inch three-ring binders and other office supplies.