By Sherry Hamilton -Gloucester Mathews Gazette-Journal
Canine Companions pup Allegro and his volunteer puppy raiser Walt Matthews participated in a matriculation ceremony on Friday during the organization’s national graduation ceremony at the Genesis Center in Medford, New York.
They are shown above with, from left, Angelica Papantoniou, administrative assistant for the Northeast Region Puppy Program and Matt Goldfarb of Jersey Mike’s restaurants, who presented the certificates. Mathews residents Walt and Laura Matthews, below, said goodbye to Allegro, who was scheduled to begin professional training with Canine Companions instructors on Tuesday.
Training will last six to nine months, after which it will be determined whether Allegro is suitable to become a service dog for a person with disabilities. While Allegro is expected to make the cut, some alternative avenues for his future if he doesn’t include becoming a therapy dog or a medical alert dog, going into search and rescue or bomb detection, or other options.
Allegro is the first puppy placed with a family in Mathews, VA to matriculate, said Canine Companions spokesman John Bentzinger, and was one of 38 dogs matriculating, along with 13 dogs who graduated from the program.
For more information on Canine Companions, including how to volunteer to be a puppy raiser or foster, visit canine.org.