Lake Ronkonkoma resident Shawn West recently graduated from Canine Companions for Independence with his new assistance dog "Jan." The nationwide organization provides trained assistance dogs for persons with disabilities other than blindness.
Shawn, 9, has autism, but Janeen West, Shawn’s mother, says Jan is already starting to help him. "This dog is going to change his life," Janeen said.
Shawn calls Jan "the best dog I ever saw." They both had to undergo a standard two week training course prior to graduation to learn how to work with and care for Jan. Check out the video to see what else they had to say about the experience.
CCI's Northeast region headquarters is based in Medford and services all of Long Island as well as the Northeast region from Maine to Virginia. For more information about the organization, check out www.cci.org
