Canine Support Teams
CEO and founder Carol Roquemore founded Canine Support Teams (CST) to provide service dogs to increase the ability of someone with disabilities to live independently while simultaneously providing loving companionship. CST is a local non-profit organization, made possible by the many people who give of their time, energy, money and love for the purpose of enhancing the lives of those affected by disabilities. Recipients and their doctors complete and extensive application process.
CST Service dogs are placed with people who use wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches or have Autism, Epilepsy, Seizures, Diabetes, Combat Veterans with PTSD and more. Our service dogs are taught to assist their partners by pulling manual wheelchairs, turning lights on and off, pushing elevator buttons, retrieving dropped or hard to reach items, making purchases or banking transactions, opening and closing doors and drawers, barking to get help and providing stability for walking. All CST service dogs are ADA compliant and public access test certified. There is a two year training period for each dog that begins as soon as they are picked up from the breeder.
CSTs' "Pawz for Wounded Veterans Program," provides service and assistance dogs to those brave men and women that have sustained disabling injuries or suffer from PTSD as a result of serving our country in the U.S.Military. CST provides service dogs to those who have been wounded in the service of our country and who are now seeking the enhanced mobility, independence, unconditional love, and companionship an assistance dog offers.
Our Prison Pup Program is an excellent example of a rehabilitation program that really works. The current program consists of twenty dogs and over fifty inmate participants. The Prison Pup Program also positively impacts the lives of the participants. "We've seen many inmate trainers go on to be gainfully employed in the animal training and animal care industry upon their release from the prison system. Nearly every single Prison Pup Program participant has stayed out of prison after their release, so we know that our program is an excellent example of a rehabilitation effort that really works."
Canine Support Teams loves helping others and making people's lives easier. A lot of work goes into what we do, and assistance is always welcome.
For more information about our volunteer opportunities, call our office at (951) 301-3625.
