SEATTLE — July 4 marks a celebration of independence across the United States.
For the non-profit Canine Companions - July 4 marks its 49th anniversary and its mission to ensure independence for everyone.
Canine Companions provides service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities and facility dogs to professionals working in healthcare, criminal justice and educational settings.
On June 29, the Canine Companions Puget Sound Field Office hosted a ceremony for its most recent graduates who were matched over the past six months.
Among the honorees were Laurie Karin and two-year-old "Kit" who were matched in October 2023.
Karin has been gradually needing a wheelchair more over the past 12 years due to increasing weakness in her legs.
Now retired from a long career with Boeing and living in West Seattle, Karin said getting a service dog from Canine Companions was life-changing.
"There was no question I needed help to maintain my independence and I looked at several different options," Karin said.
Karin was matched with her first-ever Canine Companion back in 2012.
His name was "Jet," and Karin has the fondest memories of him. Jet is now retired and living as a "typical dog" with a family.
Jet and Kit were able to meet when he passed on the blue vest to his successor.
"Gravity is not my friend because things just fall all the time and even I fall quite a bit," Karin said. "Having Kit be able to pick [items] up for me and bring them is really life-changing. It's these little details in life."
Karin said her safety is enhanced thanks to her service dogs, past and present.
"If I'm alone and I happen to fall - Kit is there to go get my phone or go help me get some kind of device to help me get back up," Karin said. "Those kinds of things are really important to living alone."
Watch: Toffee demonstrates service dog skills she learned with Canine Companions
When Karin was first paired with Jet - she found comfort and ease in going to work, running errands and going to social events. Jet accompanied her to several concerts equipped with his "mutt muffs" to protect his ears.
Since 1975 - thousands of puppies have been trained across the country to help people live more comfortably at home and in public.
Canine Companions puppies are raised by volunteers who take them to puppy classes to teach them basic obedience and house manners. When the puppies are old enough to enter a professional training program, Canine Companions dogs come to one of six regional training centers located in Northern California, Southern California, Texas, Ohio, New York and Florida.
Fourteen-year member of the Canine Companion team Margaret Peterson is a senior instructor.
Over the years - Peterson said training for puppies has evolved to better serve the people they are matched with.
"We've grown as an organization," Peterson said. "We've started placing dogs with veterans with PTSD so skills that are specific to helping veterans such as anxiety interruption and nightmare interruption [have been added]."
Peterson said the team checks in regularly with graduates to see what skills they are using most and if there are skills they would like to see added.
"We have made some changes in the way that different skills are performed," Peterson said. "One of the biggest changes is we've added cover and nudge. 'Cover' is when a dog puts themselves across somebody's body to help with deep pressure therapy, helping with anxiety. Then, 'nudge' is when they can nudge a child's hand, which could be interrupting stimming behavior or something in that sort of situation."
People interested in helping continue the Canine Companions mission can donate funds or become a volunteer puppy raiser.
Each hour spent caring for a Canine Companions puppy is vital to its development as a future service dog. The puppy-raising program provides a unique opportunity for volunteers to assist with a very important mission.
If you are under the age of 18, you must have a parent or legal guardian fill out the application and you can sign on as a co-applicant.
People like Laurie Karin are grateful for volunteers who give their time as puppy raisers.
"All the puppy raisers that do this... just amazing job of just raising these incredible animals to be socialized to give them a chance to work with people like me," Karin said. "It is the most humane thing that I can think of for someone to do."
To learn more about obtaining a service dog through Canine Companions, making a donation or becoming a puppy raiser in the Seattle area - click here.