If there was one word to describe her, that word would be resilient. Blue’s life now is nothing like it was when she first came into this world. She is a puppy mill survivor. Blue was rescued at 12 weeks old from being neglected food, water, and medical care. She was placed with us as a foster soon after the puppy mill was busted by local law enforcement through the Delta Animal Shelter in Escanaba, MI. While Blue may have been just a puppy, she experienced trauma that required healing to overcome. That healing came by trusting her new family through training. Blue, being an Australian Shepherd, had a desire to work. Her family tried to train her in various things, but being so poorly bred, she lost much of her breed instinct. In August of 2021, her mom decided that she needed to try a different job, comforting child victims of sexual and physical assault. Blue was a natural. She loved it. The rest is history. To date, Blue has served over 270 child victims of crime, with numbers increasing by the week. Blue has been trained to comfort children throughout the forensic interview process, hospital visit, crises in schools, and also throughout the court process. Blue is an icon in her community of hope, healing, and justice.
Canines for Comfort was formed as a 501(c)(3) in August of 2022, only a year after the vision of Blue helping the community started. We’ve partnered with the Delta Animal Shelter in Escanaba, MI to recruit homeless dogs (all breeds welcome) ages 6 months to 3 years old. The dog will live at home with trainers and go through training to help them heal through any type of past traumas they’ve experienced. Once the dogs have shown progress in healing, obedience training will be implemented. This will further boost the dog’s confidence and will give us an opportunity to assess where the dog may excel. Once a job is assigned, the dog will go through “on the job” training. When on the job training is complete, the dog will be matched with an organization that serves vulnerable populations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What breeds are available from Canines for Comfort?
We obtain our canines through the Delta Animal Shelter and from a selection of ethical breeders. The breed will be dependent on what dogs come through the shelter that are well tempered for work and have an adaptable personality.
Do you train service dogs?
We only train therapy dogs, facility dogs, and therapy K9’s at this time.
What about allergies?
Allergies are widely a concern for many organizations, including us when we first started this journey. Blue, an Australian Shepherd is a double coat, high shedding breed. With regular grooming, we have not run into an issue yet with her, and she’s served over 350 children. Regular bathing and brushing your dog can reduce allergens by up to 85%!
Who should handle the canine?
A person who loves dogs, is patient, and who will be with your organization long-term.
How long will it take for the handler to go through training?
It will take about 8 weeks for handler training to be completed.
What can we do to prepare for a Canines for Comfort dog?
Make sure there is a job that a dog is able to do at your organization, decide on a handler, look into things like insurance and policies, start planning things like fundraising.
What types of jobs will the canine be able to do?
The jobs each dog is able to do could potentially vary based on personality. We are able to train the canines to do the following jobs.
- CAC Advocacy
- Court Advocacy
- Field Trauma
- Forensic Interviews- both CAC and Law Enforcement
- Hospital Support
- Mobile Forensic Interviews- both CAC and Law Enforcement
- School Support
- Behavioral Health and Mental Health Clinician Client Support
What testing/certifications will the canine have?
Canines for Comfort has developed a stringent list of requirements all of our canines must achieve. Because of the delicate nature of the work they will be doing, it is vital they are consistent, dependable, and trustworthy. All of our canines go through rigorous training to ensure they are prepared for their new place of employment!
Every handler and canine will be required to become certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
How much does a Remarkable Rescue Dog Cost?
The cost of a trained canine will vary based on many factors. The average cost, including the cost of training, is over $10,000. Because of the generous time of our volunteers with Canines for Comfort and donations through various companies and the community, we are able to significantly reduce this price. Our goal is to keep the cost of each canine under $5,000 when the canine will be placed in a non-profit, school, government, or tribal organization.
How long is the waitlist?
Please contact us regarding the waitlist.
Canines for Comfort 