When Mathews residents Walt and Laura Matthews volunteered to raise an eight-week-old puppy for Canine Companions, they weren’t prepared for the impact that having to give up that puppy just shy of a year and a half later would have on them. “I was devastated,” said Laura. Although the puppies belong to Canine Companions throughout their lives, and the deal from the beginning is that they will have to be given up, the couple felt such a loss that in February when they left Allegro in New York as the first Mathews-raised puppy to begin professional training to become a facility dog, they decided they wouldn’t accept another puppy to raise. That didn’t stop their commitment to Canine Companions. Instead, Walt and Laura transitioned to a support role, welcoming other puppy raisers’ pups into their home for dog sitting and respite care, and providing transportation when needed. In addition, Walt has become part of a team that teaches puppy raisers to train their dogs. Walt and two other vo...