Montgomery County Nonprofit Training Service Dogs To Help Disabled Children

By John McDevitt

NARBERTH, Pa. (CBS) -- Paws & Affection. That's the name of a non-profit organization in Narberth, Montgomery County that trains dogs to assist children with mobility disabilities.

Placement of the first canine graduates will take place over the summer. Applications for a service dog are being accepted now.

"They can pick up dropped items, they can turn on a light switch, they can open a door, they could help pick socks up," says Laura O'Kane, Executive Director of Paws & Affection, which was formed about two years ago.

Three 18-month-old dogs are in training and will be ready for placement in August.

They are Labrador, Golden Retriever and Poodle mixes.

"They are three different breeds mixed together and the reason for that is it makes them the right size to be a good service dog for what we are doing, because you need to have a dog that you can lean on and is big enough to reach light switches, and reach door knobs, and that sort of thing, and is also is the right temperament personality. So they are smart, but they are docile, which comes from those three breeds."