Canine companions at the Baylor Scott & White Health – Kinkeade Campus
Baylor Scott & White Health has affiliated with Canine Companions, a leader in the development of service dogs, to bring a premier service animal training center to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Located next to the Baylor Health Center – Irving Coppell, the campus trains service dogs for placement, free-of-charge, with people with a broad range of disabilities.
Serving a health need in our community
Baylor Scott & White Health continually looks for innovative ways to achieve its mission, which includes providing people with personalized health and wellness resources. One life-changing resource for many of those with a disability is a service dog.
Service dogs provide their companion with the courage to leave the house to pursue dreams again—a safe haven. This powerful relationship often leads to increased independence, self-esteem and inclusion for a person with a disability.
About the service dogs
The Kinkeade Campus trains three types of service dogs:
- Service dogs assist adults with physical disabilities by performing daily tasks.
- Skilled companions enhance independence for children and adults with physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities.
- Facility dogs are expertly trained dogs that partner with a facilitator working in a healthcare, visitation or education setting.
- Trained in more than 40 commands, including turning on/off light switches, opening doors, pulling wheelchairs and picking up items.
- 35–45% of the future service dogs that go through service dog training each year will graduate to be certified skilled service dogs.