Canine Companions for Independence® Facility Dog Joins Port Jefferson EMS

Mount Sinai, NY – Motivation and support comes in many forms, including a cold nose and a warm heart. Port Jefferson EMS has welcomed its newest staff member, Canine Companions for Independence Facility Dog, Huck. Huck will be responding with his handler Deputy Chief Presta. The pair will be working with patients, the community’s vulnerable populations, and engaging children and adults affected by trauma.

Since 1975, Canine Companions has bred, raised, and expertly trained assistance dogs in over 40 commands designed to assist people with disabilities or to motivate and inspire clients with special needs. Huck can pull toy wagons, push drawers closed and retrieve all kinds of items. He has specific commands that allow him to interact with patients in a calm and appropriate way.

Port Jefferson EMS is a combination EMS agency of career and volunteer Paramedics and EMTs providing 24/7/365 advanced life support ambulance service to the communities of Port Jefferson, Belle Terre, and Mount Sinai. For more information on community CPR, medical training, volunteering, or careers in EMS, visit our website at www.pjems.org

For nearly 44 years, Canine Companions for Independence has been enhancing the lives of people with disabilities by training and placing more than 6,000 assistance dogs with program graduates, including more than 230 dogs with military veterans and more than 2,000 dogs with children. The estimated cost of a highly trained Canine Companions facility dog like Huck, and all follow up support, is $50,000, however each facility dog is provided at no cost. Canine Companions depends on the support of tens of thousands of donors and volunteers to match our facility with an assistance dog like Huck entirely free of charge.

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About Canine Companions for Independence

Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. Established in 1975, Canine Companions has six regional training centers across the country. Canine Companions is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. For more information, visit www.cci.org or call 1-800-572-BARK.