Program deploys dogs to aid injured vets

Sam Cila, who lost his left hand after a 2005 roadside bombing in Baghdad, is the first Iraq veteran to graduate from the Canine Companions for Independence program.

Cila, 36, of Riverhead, got to take home his new charge - Gillian, 2, a black Labrador/golden retriever mix - after the pair graduated Saturday.

CCI helps people of all ages who have disabilities, and trains them with a dog for two weeks before they can graduate. The dogs are raised by "puppy trainers" before they are given to the program.

As people filed into the Islandia Marriott Saturday, rows of chairs were topped with tissues at the ready for an emotional ceremony for the latest graduating class of 14 people with disabilities.

Debra Dougherty, executive director of CCI's Northeast region said the program had only recently begun assisting veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

"We have always served veterans, however about two years ago we started a very special initiative for people returning from Iraq, Afghanistan with injuries, and our first veteran from those conflicts is graduating today," she said.

The program uses Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and a mix of the two through its own breeding program in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Gillian trained with Cila to carry items long distance, hold bags and press buttons among many other daily activities, said Laura Ann Dubecky, managing instructor at the program.

For Army veteran Cila, Gillian will be a relief from some of the trauma he experienced - as well as practical help.

"Having a dog at your side to pet just takes away some of the pressures you have with dealing with the stuff I saw over there," he said. Even if he was "just not having a good day, the dog will make you smile."

Maggie Deely, 11, from Centreville, Va., played a key role in readying Gillian for Cila. Deely, diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 8, raised Gillian after she made a wish with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, asking to train service dogs.

As Gillian sat calmly next to her before being finally handed over to Cila, Deely explained how she'd wanted badly to help others. "My make-a-wish was just so much more than to make me happy," she said.

Dougherty said the best thing about the program was seeing how the dogs enabled the recipients to lead fuller lives.

"It is going to . . . enable them to do things they might have not been able to do or maybe not have had the confidence to do," she said.