Canine Companions, a national organization that trains service dogs and provides them free of charge to people with physical and cognitive disabilities, gave a presentation to the Gloucester Woman’s Club Monday at the club’s headquarters, Edgehill House on Main Street.

The service dog organization is developing a strong presence on the Middle Peninsula, thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers and the donation of 220 acres of land in Mathews to Canine Companions two years ago by the Helen and Murray Main Foundation.

Volunteer and puppy raiser Leslie Neely said the group is headquartered in California, with just 200 paid employees nationwide but a cadre of over 4,000 volunteers in 50 chapters. The organization has 140 golden retriever and Labrador retriever breeding dogs in Santa Rosa, California, she said, and those dogs are carefully matched in an effort to develop the traits needed for service dogs. Each female has two to three litters of puppies before being retired, and tho...