The close bond between service dogs and their human companions is one of the strongest known to man – and it is a relationship that the Canine Partners for Life taps into when selecting their dog-human matches. Canine Partners for Life (CPL), a non-profit organization established in 1989 by Darlene Sullivan, is a recognised and respected leader in the industry involved with service dogs, medical alert dogs, and companion dogs for individuals with physical, mental and cognitive disabilities.

The organization trains service, medical alert, and companion dogs in a 45-acre property with a state-of-the-art training center and kennel in Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Its goal is to provide deserving individuals with the trained skills and compassionate companionship of dogs, thus, improving the quality of life for them. Its trained dogs are placed in a wide range of settings including residences and courthouses.

For these reasons, CPL is widely recognized and respected as a leading organization in the assistance dog industry. It has accreditation from the Assistance Dogs International, a coalition of non-profit assistance dog providers. Its programs are also recognized as the best in the industry including:

  • Service dogs, which are taken through a comprehensive and customized 2-year training program to enable them to meet the specific needs of their intended human partners;
  • Seizure alert dogs, which are trained via positive click-and-treat methods to alert their human companions and/or others of impending seizure activity;
  • Cardiac alert dogs, which are trained to warn their human companions about sudden and serious changes in their blood pressure;
  • Diabetes alert dogs, which have been trained to sense changes in blood sugar levels among their human companions; and
  •  Companion dogs, which are trained to provide emotional support and physical companionship to their human partners.

But the organization has its fair share of costs in raising, training and placing these dogs; CPL estimates peg the cost to do so at $30,000 for each dog. Donations and contributions to its worthy cause are then welcome.