NEW ALBANY -- Service dogs are hardworking, four-legged employees that serve as a lifeline for people with disabilities like Brandon Scott.
- The Non-profit Canine Companions for Independence--who helps pair assistance dogs with people with disabilities announced plans for expansion Wednesday.
- The new 16-acre campus will provide expertly-trained assistance dogs free of charge.
- The new facility is expected to open next year
“She hasn't just given me independence, she's given my family, my wife and everybody, a sense of, peace of mind, knowing when i'm out in public on my own, that i'm in good hands,” says Indianapolis resident Brandon Scott.
The Indianapolis man was born with a rare physical disability.
His journey with Canine Companions for Independence began 20 years ago.
He's had Kary, a 3-year-old golden lab mix as his constant companion and helper since 2017.
“Just the other day I was coming out of my office building and I dropped my car keys and they kind of rolled under my van. Without even missing a beat, Carrie dove under the van, grabbed the car keys to hand them back to me,” says Scott.
Carrie came from Canine Companions for Independence, which broke ground Wednesday on a new state of the art $21-million dollar facility in New Albany.
The 16-acre campus will have more than 54-thousand square feet of space and features training rooms, kennels and 16 wheel-chair accessible rooms for their human companions to stay on-site, which will be offered free of charge.
“And as an organization that provides them free of charge, we were the first organization to provide service dogs to people with disabilities other than blindness, and we are the largest. So we have a lot of people coming to us to fill that need. And this new campus is going to allow us to do that and serve more people than we have been able to,” says company representative Molly Schulz.
Canine Companions for Independence plans to sell its current location in Delaware which is nearly 30 years old.
Until then, the fundraising efforts continue the company has raised $13 million of the $21 million needed for the project.
Scott says its a great opportunity for those looking to get involved through volunteer efforts or donations.
“You're going to get to see first hand what these dogs are capable of doing, what these dogs mean for the individuals receiving them and you're also going to get to be apart of an awesome organization that changes life on a daily basis,” says Scott.
The new facility is expected to open sometime next year.
Canine Companions for Independence also has training centers in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania and California.