Puppy in Training Drives Mobility Awareness
CARS.COM — Chrysler has gone to the dogs. OK, gone to a dog — specifically service-dog-in-training “PacifiPuppy” Foley, a golden retriever-Labrador retriever mix.
Chrysler has kenneled up with Canine Companions for Independence and mobility expert BraunAbility to raise awareness for CCI’s “Give a Dog a Job” campaign via social media. Fans can follow #RaisingFoley and #FoleyFriday on Chrysler’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds, which will document Foley’s training program.
Related: 2015 Ram ProMaster City Wagon Dog Test Video
“As we follow Foley through his journey, fans will get a first-hand look at watching him grow and learn, from puppy training to becoming a fully trained assistance dog, and also gain an understanding of the huge amount of time and resources it takes to train these amazing dogs,” Tim Kuniskis, head of passenger cars for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles North America, said in a statement.
Training a service dog takes two years — including six to nine months of professional training — and costs $50,000. Once trained, a CCI graduate is placed, free of charge, with a disabled adult, child or veteran. The waitlist for a CCI dog is in the hundreds. Those interested in helping, either by donating or raising a dog, can find out more here.
Chrysler’s new 2017 Pacifica minivan also is at the heart of this awareness initiative. Chrysler recently teamed up with BraunAbility to build a wheelchair-accessible Pacifica. This Pacifica offers “the largest interior space” of any accessible vehicle as well as the widest door opening and side-entry ramp in the industry, according to Chrysler.
