“A Pup’s Journey to Greatness”

Today I’m gonna give you a chance to see something most people never get to see.

When they’re 8 weeks old, Canine Companions for Independence puppies are brought to the national headquarters campus in Santa Rosa by the breeder caretaker of the mama dog who gave birth to them. They are checked out thoroughly by the veterinary staff, given an identifying tattoo in their right ear, washed, and then sent on their way to puppy raisers across the U.S., who will raise and train them for the next 15-18 months. (You can read more about breeder caretakers and CCI’s very carefully controlled breeding program here.)

This new short documentary video shot just last month by Alex Lowry, an Academy of Art San Francisco student, gives you a rare inside look at that process. It’s not secret or anything, just something that even the vast majority of CCI volunteers and staff never get to see simply because you’d have to be in Santa Rosa and on days when this was happening (not to mention those puppies leave at the proverbial oh-dark-30 for early morning flights at SFO).  For example, I’ve spent time at the campus, know the places and most of the faces in the video, and I’ve never gotten to actually witness this.

Here you go – enjoy this great inside look at something very special (thanks to Brenda Voght from the CCI Puget Sound Chapter for posting this).