- About CaPR
One Person. One Dog. Partners in Life.
What do you cherish most about your dog? Is it the companionship and unconditional love? Or the tail-wagging greeting you get at the door? The bond we share with our dogs is a strong, special relationship. That heartfelt connection is even deeper, more extraordinary if you have a disability.
Service dogs assist with everyday tasks that many take for granted, such as opening a door, switching on a light, or picking up a dropped item. A Canine Partners of the Rockies' (CaPR) service dog performs these important tasks with "dogged" determination and unconditional love. A service dog is much more than a helpful, loving companion to its person with a disability. A service dog is a partner in life!
Fulfillment of CaPR's mission begins with the generosity and dedication of numerous breeders. We rely on these individuals to help select puppies with the "right stuff," gentle temperament, intelligence, and ambition to work. It truly takes a special and gifted dog to become a Canine Partner.
CaPR is dedicated to using humane and positive training methods to produce gentle, responsive, highly-skilled service dogs with an unyielding desire to work. Overall, the process takes two years of love, nurturing and rigorous training which is provided by our team of dedicated volunteer puppy raisers and advanced trainers.
Eligibility
CaPR trains dogs to provide assistance to people who have limited mobility, from individuals who use wheelchairs to those requiring a steady four-legged partner to balance them as they walk.
Some of the dogs' skills include retrieving dropped or selected items, assisting in dressing and undressing, pulling wheelchairs, bracing for balance or transfers, turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, and pushing elevator buttons. Any person who receives a CaPR service dog must provide it with ample opportunity to perform the skills it has been trained to do.
In order to provide ongoing service to our partnerships, CaPR only places dogs with Colorado residents. People with muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, post polio syndrome, ataxia and other mobility limiting conditions may be eligible to receive a CaPR Service Dog Partner.
Please note, CaPR does NOT train:
Hearing dogs
Seizure alert or response dogs
Guide dogs for people with visual disabilities
Dogs for adults or children with Autism
Companion dogs for people with psychiatric disabilities
Dogs for people with some developmental disabilities
