Canines for Change which trains service dogs for veterans and people with disabilities, was FOX47's Three Degree Guarantee recipient for July. The nonprofit was received a check on Thursday for $1300.
Canines for Change Executive Director Nikki Brown said they will put the money towards building a facility in the Grand Ledge area to train more dogs to help more people in the area.
Since 2005 the organization has trained almost 100 dogs, and they currently have at least 50 people on a waiting list.
"It's very difficult to have people on our waiting list that we know we can help but not be able to help them because we don't have the room," Brown said. "We can't house the number of dogs that we need. So, this is really a dream come true for us to be able to get this started."
Canines for Change started out working with therapy dogs and then switched to service dogs. Now they provide service dogs for veterans and people with autism and epilepsy, as well as providing dogs for schools.
Trainers work with dogs on specialty behaviors like learning to retrieve a med bag or water and learning new words.
Mars Woodbury is a volunteer and trainer. She says the donation is a great help to the organization and it makes her happy knowing people care about the cause.
"The more funds that we're able to acquire, the more people that we're able to help and the more dogs we're able to place, and that just feels great," Woodbury said.
The organization is primarily run by volunteers and funded by donations.
Here are the links if you're interested in donating, volunteering, or applying for a service dog.
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