Ann Barile simply adores Ty, the year-old retriever puppy who has shared her life for the past seven months.

So it was with mixed emotions that she sent Ty off to "doggy college" on February 24. "We went everywhere together, the grocery store, the chiropractor, even to restaurants. I'm lonesome without him," she says. But she is also proud that Ty has moved on to the next stage of preparation for his special mission in life.

Ty, a lab-golden mix, is a service dog in training, and Ann is a volunteer puppy raiser for Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), a non-profit organization that provides highly-skilled assistance dogs to people with physical and developmental disabilities. CCI dogs are provided at virtually no cost to their partners. All expenses are funded through private donations.

Service Dog In Training
Becoming an assistance dog isn't easy. Ty will have to master more than 50 specialized commands. Canine Companion becomes the arms or legs or ears of their partners -- retrieving items, turning on and off lights, opening doors, pulling wheelchairs, and alerting a deaf or hearing-impaired person to sounds. Not every dog completes the rigorous training successfully.

Before any dog begins his advanced training, he must be socialized and learn basic manners. That's the job of volunteer Puppy Raisers like Ann. "Because he is a service dog in training, it's important to expose him to as much as possible, so I took him everywhere with me."

On their daily adventures, Ty wore a special yellow cape with the CCI logo and the words "assistance puppy in training" to indicate his special purpose. His cape has a special pocket for literature about the CCI program which helps Ann to answer questions from curious shopkeepers and passersby.

A Breed Apart
Most CCI dogs come from the organization's own breeding program. "They are specially bred," notes Ann, "and you can tell. Ty is very calm and well-mannered. He really seems to know that he has a special purpose in life."

CCI puppies are raised by volunteers from 8 weeks of age until they are about 13 to 18 months old. The Puppy Raiser's responsibilities include providing house training, teaching basic obedience skills, and attending puppy training classes, in addition to providing basic necessities such as food, shelter, veterinary care, discipline and lots of love and attention.

Next, the future Canine Companion matriculates, leaving his foster family to undertake six months of advanced training. Then, based upon each dog's personality and abilities, CCI instructors match dogs with prospective recipients for Team Training. Each team works together during an additional training course building a partnership that culminates in a graduation ceremony.

Fun and Rewarding
For Ann, the experience with Ty has been both fun and rewarding. "Ty is my first puppy in training. This is something that I've always wanted to do and, I'm really glad I decided to give it a try."

Although sad that Ty won't be with her any longer, Ann acknowledges that her relationship with him was different from that of the other dogs in her household. "It's more like how I think of my grandchildren,"says Ann. "I love them, but when I babysit for them, I know I have to give them back!"

The "giving back" part came in a special luncheon and ceremony hosted for 20 puppy raisers on February 24th at CCI's Northeast Regional Center. "It was wonderful to see Ty and the other dogs wearing their blue capes - a mark that they've graduated to the next phase."

There were also speeches by individuals who are partnered with a service dog. "Listening to them talk about how important these dogs are to them was a reminder that being a puppy raiser is a really worthwhile thing to do."

"I recommend it," says Ann, adding "I will definitely be doing it again!"

For more information about Canine Companions for Independence or CCI's puppy raiser program, visit www.caninecompanions.org.