As we celebrate our 50th year, Canine Companions opened a new chapter in Virginia in April, celebrating the grand opening of our new Mathews property! Located on the site of the historic 220-acre Helen and Murray Main estate, the event was attended by around 150 guests, including volunteers from the Old Dominion Volunteer Chapter, volunteer puppy raisers, and nearly two dozen clients and their service dogs, many of them veterans. Canine Companions CEO Paige Mazzoni told the group this new property is an important part of Canine Companions future because it will not only support volunteer puppy raisers, to “get more service dogs to more people more quickly, but also this location is close to a significant population of veterans, an important part of what we do.” Stay tuned for more ways to get involved. We’re planning puppy classes, tours of our new historic property and much more. Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make our grand opening a rousing success. Your hard work made this all possible. Please contact Northeast Region Executive Director Debra Dougherty if you’d like to make a donation and get involved! 
Canine Companions is the largest nonprofit provider of service dogs to adults, children and veterans with disabilities, and we’re proud of our new location in Mathews, Virginia! Our new location will help us better support our existing clients and volunteers in the area, and place more of our expertly trained service dogs with people with disabilities in the Virginia area, at no cost to them. We can’t wait to get out into the community and get to know you!