Dear Friend,
We can all agree this year has brought many twists, turns and unexpected moments. While it can be so easy to get weighed down with all the negativity, we are choosing to focus on the positive things that are in store for us in the coming year – including celebrating 30 years of placing service dogs with those who need them the most!
Before we begin to look forward to the next 30 years, we were excited to get this update from Jill – Mom to Recipient Addie, and their service dog CJ to remind us of the impact Canine Assistants makes each and every day:
Where does someone start when you are reflecting on the last 2,845 days to be exact? How do you put into words and summarize all that comes with life in that number of days – the highs, the lows, the everything in between, let alone summarize in a way that can truly show what impact one furry soul has had on this family of mine.
Two thousand, eight hundred and forty-five days….I don’t know where each of those days have gone exactly, but I know that each one has been made a little brighter, a little sweeter, a little more doable with CJ, our service dog, in our lives.
When I asked each member of our household to summarize CJ in just a word or two, this is what I was told: “True Hero, Awesome, Happy, Real Love, Eats Treats.” As I soaked in the words to put them together, they all equaled one giant word for me:
H – Happy E – Eats Treats A – Awesome R – Real Love T – True Hero = HEART
As I read and re-read the words each member of our family contributed to what they summarize CJ means to them, then read the actual definition of what HEART means and is, I think it paints the clearest picture of the role he has played in our lives, in Addie’s life. He may not be an actual organ, but he serves the same purpose to our family.
He pumps loves through every one of us daily without fail. He is what circulates life and happiness in each of us and serves as the grounding point that brings everything back into focus for us, even on the hardest of days. He has poured nothing but pure heart into all that he does for Addie, for us as a family and for anyone that witnesses who he is and what he adds to our life each and every single day. 
We have had so many dark moments in our life with Addie –having CJ’s constant dosing of “heart healthy” unconditional love has been such a crucial part of our lives in staying focused on the positives. Days have been long, and days have been hard, but he has been the one constant source of love, affection, warmth, laughter, comfort, fun, and so much more all rolled into one. Addie lives a life different than most, and in turn it has put us on a journey too that is different than most families.
In the crazy world we all live in today, to have some sort of constant love and support with no strings attached – is something that is so desperately needed by Addie, and honestly by each one of us.
With much love:
A Grateful Service Dog Mom
It takes an incredible amount of love and patience to raise, educate and place service dogs. We really have that down perfectly here at Canine Assistants, but as a nonprofit, we need necessary funding to feed, teach and take care of the dogs – some even after graduation.
Your gift goes directly to the programs Canine Assistants provides, and it might just be the one gift that changes a recipient’s life forever.
While our dogs cannot say thank you, we can! Thank you for helping our recipients and the dogs who give them unconditional love, assistance, and companionship.
From the Canine Assistants family to yours, have a wonderful holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.
Warmest Wishes,
The Canine Assistants Family