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Unfortunately, the ravages of age and illness do not always allow us the luxury of enjoying the close-proximity, human-pet bonding relationship. Dog-owners who are handicapped, who become incapacitated or are otherwise incapable of caring for their pet-dog, are not able to enjoy the close bond relationship with their pet-dog.
People in independent, assisted living facilities or those facing other hardships find it extremely difficult or impossible to provide a comfortable, safe and loving home for their pet-dog and are facing a similar challenge.
With this in mind, the CBF is seeking to establish Canine Residences in Supporting People (CRiSP). For those who are incapable of taking care of their beloved pet dog, this program aims to provide a loving home for their dog.
Pet dogs are extremely valuable companions to their owners. CRiSP will serve as a preferable alternative to maintaining what can become a difficult, or impossible, close bond between owners and their beloved dog during their lifetimes. The CRiSP program provides dog owners the total comfort knowing that their beloved pet and lifelong friend, will be well taken care of for the remainder of its life.
Keeping dogs out of shelters not only saves the life of the dog, but also brings a huge relief to the living owners who can still visit with their beloved canine companion. Their pet dog will continue to provide companionship during the owner’s lifetime.
These benefits will be provided by volunteer Residence Providers who make their homes available and provide complete care to these owner's pet dogs. They will be identified, selected and vetted from among households who have had experience in the care and handling of at least one dog. Residence Providers will be responsible for feeding, grooming, exercising, providing medical aid, and an overall safe, comfortable lifestyle for the pet-dog.
Residence Providers will provide emotional support and comforting services with visitation to the living dog-owner’s home, their own dwelling, or an assisted living facility. This also includes satisfying reasonable special requests by the owner.
Overseeing and managing Residence Providers will be Regional Directors who will have full responsibility in their local region for identifying, vetting and selecting qualified Residence Providers. Regional Directors will be selected from among the most qualified Residence Providers and will have total responsibility for overall regional program management.
Regional Directors will also oversee the coordination, vetting, selection and assignment of client dog-owners with the most suitable Residence Provider. They would also arrange for client-owner dogs to be examined by the local veterinarian to determine their qualification and suitability as a therapy and comfort dog.
Regional Directors will be responsible for ensuring the highest quality standards and full compliance are maintained. They would be modestly compensated based on the extent and level of their responsibility, plus out-of-pocket expenses.
The CBF recognizes that risks exist with Residence Providers, Regional Directors and dog-owners that must be mitigated by a thorough vetting process to ensure that all parties are protected. Unfortunately, we live in an imperfect world, but the overall importance and benefits of this program should outweigh those risks.
The CBF will cover the client-owner’s dog’s food, grooming, medical and other living expenses related to the dog’s well-being during its entire life, as well as all administrative expenses.
It is the hope of the Caplan-Bensley Foundation that the success of this program will encourage other families to welcome, foster and enjoy these lovable pet-dogs into their home. In doing this, so many dogs would be saved from being placed in animal shelters and spared from otherwise subsequent unfortunate and unmentionable consequences. Instead, these wonderful dogs would be living out their lives in a beautiful and loving environment.
The CBF would welcome receiving from client dog-owners any contributions, funded endowments, bequests or pledges in their estate plans. In any event, the CBF will provide whatever financial support is needed to ensure the highest standards are met.