Dynasplint® Cares

She volunteers with Summit Assistance Dogs- a nonprofit organization, located in Anacortes, Washington, that provides highly-skilled mobility, hearing and therapy dogs for people with disabilities.

Summit was founded in 2000 in response to the overwhelming need for more trained service dogs. There are more than 55 million Americans living with various disabilities, and the national average waiting time to receive a service dog is 2-5 years.

Assistance dogs empower people with disabilities to lead lives of greater independence by performing tasks that would otherwise require reliance on a human caregiver. These tasks might include retrieving dropped objects, opening/closing doors, retrieving an emergency telephone, alerting a person who is hard of hearing to sounds, etc. Perhaps more important than the tasks performed, however, is the relationship itself. Depression, loneliness and anxiety tend to diminish, and it is the dog’s capacity for unconditional love that is often the greatest gift. Through partnership with an assistance dog, people often experience a joy and confidence previously unattainable through other means. Summit currently trains mobility, hearing, and therapy dogs.

 Summit volunteers like Anne may help with the pups by cleaning the whelping beds or cage, delivering a puppy to its training, sitting with a newborn pup, or help with administrative needs. Thanks, Anne for all you do!