A Carson City woman will receive a service dog thanks to the The Milk-Bone brand and Sam’s Club.
The two companies joined forces to provide Carrie Henrichsen, a staff attorney with Nevada Legal Services, the service dog through the nonprofit organization Canine Assistants.
Henrichsen, 38, has a progressive neuromuscular disorder called Friedreich’s Ataxia. The disease causes speech impairment, muscular weakness, coordination problems and limited mobility. Carrie will be officially welcomed to the Canine Assistants family by a certified Canine Assistants Trainer and representative service dog on Friday, March 22, 11 a.m. at Sam's Club, 4835 Kietzke Lane in Reno. The public is invited.
Because of the disease, Henrichsen uses both a manual and electronic wheelchair. Her new service dog will help retrieve dropped items, open doors, turn lights on/off and obtain help in an emergency, said Kristin Bate, spokeswoman for Canine Assistants, The Milk-Bone brand and Sam's Club.
Canine Assistants is a non-profit organization that provides service dogs to people with various disabilities, at no cost to the recipient. It takes up to two years to train each dog with the cost and care of these specially trained dogs exceeding $20,000. The organization runs entirely on individual and corporate donations, such as those from the Milk-Bone brand.
The Milk-Bone brand believes in giving back to the community and the “It’s Good To Give” initiative is taking steps to help people with special needs by partnering them with a Canine Assistants service dog. Through the Milk-Bone® Canine Assistants program, the Milk-Bone® brand and their retail partners together have donated hundreds of service dogs nationwide over the past 13 years.
Henrichsen and her new service dog will go home together after they have both attended a two-week training camp at the Canine Assistants location in Alpharetta, Georgia.