The perfect team

Whoever said a dog is a man’s best friend never saw the bond between 12-year-old Keegan and Patience VII. Keegan King graduated from Canine Companions training camp in April with her service dog, and the duo has been inseparable ever since.

While she enjoys going to parks and the beach, playing on her iPad, singing and drawing, Keegan had spent years wishing she had a canine companion to join her and stay by her side. Since 2019, Keegan has been on the Canine Companions’ waiting list.  A true animal lover—Keegan wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up!—Keegan patiently waited to see if a service dog was in the cards for her.

Since the organization was founded in 1975, Canine Companions has led the service dog industry throughout the nation, providing service dogs to clients with a wide range of disabilities, allowing them to lead more independent lives with assistance from a furry friend. Despite Canine Companions not receiving any government assistance, generous donors and dedicated volunteers come together to provide service dogs absolutely free of charge.

Like the other Canine Companions pups, Patience VII was bred at the national headquarters in Santa Rosa, Calif., before living with volunteer puppy raisers. Here, she was taught basic commands and obedience for a year and a half, before moving to the regional headquarters in Medford for training.

Through six to nine months of reward-based training, amazing volunteer trainers taught the service dog specialized commands, training them with adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters.

To her delight, Keegan was invited to the regional facility with her grandmother, Christine, to begin team training. For two weeks, Keegan was taught handling skills and commands while practicing with the service dogs she was carefully matched to. During team training, clients are invited to stay in one of 11 fully handicapped-accessible dorm rooms, free of charge, throughout the duration of the training session.

The Canine Companions team carefully matches dog to person based on skills, personality, temperament, and how handling goes during team training.

“We were originally going to have a male dog, Falcon, but then they switched him for Patience because they realized I was more capable of taking care of my own dog and training my own dog,” explained Keegan. “So, they matched me with a more energetic, crazy, fun dog like Patience.”

Keegan and Patience were immediate best friends.

“Eager, willing Patience was just the right fit,” shared Canine Companions instructor Winona Fuller. “She and Keegan are the perfect team, with Patience often seeming to read Keegan’s mind as they tackle team training together.”

Keegan has indeed proved to be capable of taking care of Patience. She devotes time every day to training her service dog. Reliable, responsive and affectionate, Patience utilizes her trained skills and tasks to help mitigate Keegan’s disabilities. Patience knows over 40 commands, like opening and closing doors, retrieving items from Keegan’s drawers and pockets, turning lights on and off, and picking up dropped items for Keegan. Canine Companions can even reduce cortisol and anxiety levels.

“Any time I am sad, she will put her head right on my chest, and she won’t leave until I smile,” said Keegan. “She is my best friend; she goes with me everywhere and she is always by my side.”

“Keegan tells me, ‘Now that I have Patience, I know I will never be alone,’” added Keegan’s grandmother, Christine Bernard.