Cathy Powell suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, and has a service dog, named Duffy.  When she got Duffy to begin training him to be a service dog, she wasn’t planning on keeping him.  However, after seeing how beneficial he is after her symptoms got worse, she’s decided that training service dogs is her calling.

“It’s amazing what a service dog can do — just absolutely amazing,” said Cathy.

Duffy IS an amazing help to her almost daily.  Aside from just retireving something Cathy has dropped, he can get her water bottle for her, help her get dressed and even help her climbing the stairs.  Oh yeah, he’s excellent at hugs.

“They can really be a comfort to you,” cathy said.  “I’ll say, ‘Duffy, I really need a hug,’ and he’ll come up and lay his front paws on me.”

This is why she wants to share the improved quality of life that a service dog can bring to someone in need.  Lucky for her, Duffy and Cathy’s other dog Lucy had puppies, so finding good dogs for training wasn’t going to be tough.  However, eight pups are a lot to deal with, and that’s why Cathy is looking for other service dog trainers near by for help.  But not just any old trainer will do.

“I am very specific about how I want my dogs trained,” she said.  “It is a commitment.”

While Cathy knows the future puppy-raisers will feel good about helping others in need, she recognizes that giving up the puppies after two years is going to be the hardest part.  She said “it’s because they are so stinkin’ loveable!”