By Nancy Edwards
Families can gather their dogs and friends and enjoy a stroll through the park while supporting a tail-wagging good cause. Canine Companions for Independence is hosting their annual DogFest Walk ‘n’ Roll from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 to help raise money and awareness for highly trained assistance dogs to people with disabilities. This service is provided free of charge. Completely accessible for people with disabilities, the event at Billericay Park will host a variety of vendors offering services such as nail clipping and tooth brushing for all dogs that attend the event with their owners.
“This is a nice outing for dogs and owners to come to and see some great vendors providing services,” said Brandt Carter, who serves with Canine Companions of Independence.
Canine Companions is a 501 © (3) nonprofit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.
Canine Companions trains four types of assistance dogs.
1) Those that assist adults with physical disabilities by performing daily tasks;
2) Those that alert the deaf and hard of hearing to important sounds;
3) Those that enhance independence for children and adults with physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities, and
4) Those that work with a professional in a visitation, education or healthcare setting
Champions of Central Indiana are volunteers that support Canine Companions of Independence and is active year-round doing the following activities:
- Raising public awareness for Canine Companions for Independence
- Recruiting new team members who want an assistance dog
- Recruiting puppy raisers for the first year of care of an assistance dog
- Providing financial support for Canine Companions for Independence through fundraising
- Giving demonstrations and presentations about the Canine Companions for Independence program
- Providing fun and support to all those that share the passion and mission of Canine Companions for Independence
If you go: Canine Companions for Independence’s annual DogFest Walk ‘n’ Roll is being held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at Billericay Park, 12690 Promise Rd. To register for the event, visit www.cci-indy.org/.
