28 April 2016
Have you ever heard of an organization called Asista?
Well, they’re a non-profit group based in Montreal Quebec that currently works in collaboration with the federal government to help veterans and mandate the standards for service dogs in Canada. Pretty awesome, right?
Their mission is to provide service dogs for people that are dealing with mental health issues. The foundation’s primary goal is to maintain a therapeutic relationship between the individual and the dog to help cope in difficult settings.
How did Nutrience become involved with the Asista group?
When the foundation was established in April 2012, Nutrience by Rolf C. Hagen wanted to get involved and has been sponsoring Asista to help as many people as possible, including Craig who we featured in a previous story. (add link)
Asista is composed of a committed board of directors of 12 people from a vast variety of background expertise who all have the same goal and vision in mind.
Not only do they help those in need to find service dogs, but they go above and beyond by contributing to the on-going research for autism and PTSD with the help of the Canadian government to explore the unique bond between the individual and the canine.
ASISTA’s vision is based on matching the right dog with the right person, like Joey and Craig! Their dogs come from shelters and are selected based on their traits. The foundation only works with large breeds for safety reasons amongst the handler, the public and the canine.
ASISTA is the only foundation in Quebec that exclusively offers certified service dogs for people with PTSD and we think that’s something to be proud of.
The demand for these dogs is exceedingly high and is rising quickly. Despite the demand, Asista has been working hard to meet the needs for those who need it.
Nutrience is very proud to work closely with this foundation, and we will continue to support Asista and find the perfect service dogs for those in need.