An Indianapolis resident will receive a Canine Assistants service
dog through a partnership with Milk-Bone and PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM).
Matthew Griffin, who
suffers from a nervous system and muscle disorder and uses a
wheelchair, will be partnered with a canine companion that will be
trained to retrieve dropped objects,
turn on and off lights and open doors. Matthew hopes the dog will
give him more confidence to leave the house and go to school. Dogs
chosen for the program areintensively trained at the Canine Assistants facility in Georgia for
a minimum 14-18 months at a cost of $10,000 per dog.
Since 1997, Milk-Bone has helped to sponsor more than 500 police and
service dogs across the country. Milk-Bone has partnered with
PetSmart since 2001 to
donate a total of 16 dogs to PetSmart community recipients such as
Matthew Griffin.
As part of the Milk-Bone Canine Heroes Program(TM), Milk-Bone(R) and
PetSmart are sponsoring the Canine Assistants service dog for
Griffin. He and his new
best friend will go home together after they have both attended an
upcoming sponsored training camp together.
