A new local chapter of Canine Companions for Independence is working to bring awareness to the need for volunteers in the Hudson Valley. 

CaCI works to train assistance dogs to place with people living with disabilities. Dogs for the program are bred in California and then given to volunteer puppy raisers across the country to raise, until they are placed with either an individual or a facility.

The president of the Hudson Valley chapter says that there is a waiting list of people looking service and assistance dogs in the region.

"We need puppy raisers to make their dreams come true, their dreams of having an assistance dog to help make their quality of life better," said Kara Dorsey, who has an eight-and-a-half-year-old golden retriever named Brewer as her companion.

Puppy raisers provide financial support, care, shelter and basic obedience training to puppies for 12-18 months to get them ready to be assistance or service dogs. For more information on becoming a puppy raiser or volunteering for the organization, visit the Canine Companions for Independence Hudson Valley chapter on facebook or their website at cci.org.