Canines Helping Independent People, Inc. (CHIP)

Often times we come across people that take life for granted. When in reality we all know that in one simple instant, a life can be changed forever. If you life has abruptly changed and you believe a Mobility or Psychiatric Service Dog can make your life easier, please call to see if you qualify for a Service Dog.

Many people we provide Service Dogs to were born with a disability; while other people's lives were changed due to an accident, illness or those who served in the Military; which ultimately changed their lives in unimaginable ways. Canines Helping Independent People strives to provide custom trained Service Dogs to people who desire the "Gift of Independence," which our dogs provide; thereby allowing them to become more self-sufficient. Located in Canton, Ohio, the CHIP program is dedicated to forever changing three lives at a time; the foster parent, the recipient and the dog. Help us Help Others!

CHIP primarily uses retrievers as the dog needs to be dry mouth, soft mouth,an excellent retriever and always eagerly awaiting their next invitation to perform. Although, CHIP is a smaller program we have a 98% success rate in the placement of our Service Dogs. If you have a Golden or Labrador Retriever or a Doodle between the age of 9 months and 2 years old that you would like to donate to our program, let us know. Keep in mind, that we do not take in Chocolate Labradors as they are too hyper.

We offer a program for disabled people who has their own dog and would like to train it to assist them with their mobility limitations. If the person qualifies, they are required to abide by our training regimen and must pay all training and equipment costs.

We also provide Facility Dogs to reside in a Health Care Facility to provide comfort and care to the residents. We also provide public demonstration to school children and other clubs and organizations.



We acquire our dogs from rescue groups, shelters, pounds and from families who can no longer care for their dog. Occasionally, we get a dog from a prominent breeder. All expenses to foster a dog "in training" is borne by the program.

A vital key to the success of our program is the tireless dedications of our foster parents and volunteers who commit to assisting us in training a dog in their home (with the help of one of our trainers) for a period of 18 to 20 months. The shear pleasure of seeing a foster parent succeed in training a Service Dog is priceless.. Foster parents can be anyone from 12 years old and up. Younger children involved in a 4-H or other club may also be a foster parent. Volunteers who are unable to foster a dog in their home can still help the CHIP program in many different ways. There is always something that needs to be done!

We are also seeking people to be on our fundraising committee. These individuals will help to manage all our fundraising events by manning a booth at an exhibit, coming up with other fundraising ideas, and organizing our graduation parties, among other things.

We are proud to state that 89% of all funding raised goes directly to the training and placement of our Service Dogs. All donations are graciously accepted.

Act now and change your life forever! It is a great way of being thankful that you are healthy as we never know when our life could change!