Therapy Dog, service dog

Therapy dog

Cori is a female golden/lab mix who was born on September 16, 2016 at a service dog organization. She was donated to our non-profit, Puppy Prodigies.

Cori received her canine-good citizen certificate when she was 15 weeks old. She has gone on to become a certified goal directed therapy dog with Paws'itive Teams, and a registered therapy dog with Alliance of Therapy Dogs.

Like Ricochet, she has chosen her own life purpose, and is already trying to save lives. Her favorite activity, besides food, is water rescue. Although she has a natural instinct to immediately respond to activity in the water, she is also being formally trained to perform water rescue in case the need ever arises. But her main area of focus is her own little niche... Canine-assisted swimming, coupled with canine-assisted playing for kids with with autism, special needs, fear of the water or other challenges.

In the beginning, Cori was terrified to go in the pool. But at about nine months of age, she overcame her fear with the help of a teenage neighbor. When Cori saw her go under water, she jumped in the pool to save her!

Service dog

Cori began service dog training the day she came home. She also received five days of water rescue training in both the pool and ocean from the renowned SICS Italian School of Water Rescue Dogs. After completion she received a certificate, but the best part was our canine-assisted swimming program was endorsed by Ferruccio Pilenga and his dog Mas who started the SICS program.

Please click on the links below where you will find much more info on Cori, her passion for water rescue, and her canine-assisted swimming program.

Aqua dog

This is what Cori's canine-assisted swimming program is all about.

This little girl is scared of water. But watch how different she is when doing a back float with Cori vs. our swim instructor Jodi, from Special Fishies: Aquatic Freedom and Education.