Canine Partners For Life (CPL) trains and places assistance dogs with individuals with mobility impairments. CPL has several types of assistance dogs in its program including service dogs, seizure alert dogs, home companions and residential (community) companions. CPL recipients come from all walks of life and have a wide variety of disabilities. The one thing they all have in common is a drive to become more independent and a commitment to do what is necessary to have an assistance dog in their Introducing DC the Labradoodle Hi there. My name is DC, and if you couldn't tell from my picture, I'm a Labradoodle. My trainer asked me to tell you about my life as a service dog trainee. It started out when I was very young. After a few weeks, I started to realize that I was special. Most dogs didin't get to wear a cape and visit the grocery store. They had to sit all alone in their owner's cars. They often barked at me and told me how lucky I was. Shortly after that, I realized the REAL reason I was so special. Everyone stopped to ask what kind of a dog I was. Then they would use that little baby voice to tell me how adorable I was! Suddenly, everyone wanted a Labradoodle! There was a lot to get used to when I moved into the training kennel. New people, new routines, new playmates. It's so exciting to learn new things with click and treat. The click alone doesn't do much for me, but the TREAT, now that's another story! There are so many things for me to learn now: retrieval, doing laundry, helping someone to take off a jacket, opening doors, etc. The staff here are very excited about my large size. They say that one day I will be able to help someone keep his or her balance while walking. Right now it's all fun and games, but someday a person will rely on me to help him or her get through the day. That's pretty cool! If you need any more proof that I'm totally adorable, you can meet me in "person" at the Canine Partners for Life Wine Auction on November 15, 2002. Check out our website for more information, www.k94life.org.