Organizational Behavior
MBA 530
CASE ANALYSIS NO. 3

Canine Companions for Independence

BACKGROUND:
Canine Companions for independence (hereinafter CCI), was founded in July 1975 as a non-profit organization that provides highly skilled Assistance Dogs for people with disabilities. CCI survives completely on private support of individuals and/or corporations. Dedicated supports have helped CCI recognize a huge growth since its beginning. CCI is now the largest Assistance Dogs organization in the world.
Many doctors and therapists agree that, the most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart. The organization usually trains Golden Retrievers, Labradors Retrievers and a crossbreed of the two to assist children and adults with disabilities other than blindness for free. One may assist the organization through various methods, which include sponsorship, tributes, monthly gifts, and one-time donations.
CCI operates training centers in many different states in the United States, including, but not limited to California, Florida, and New York. CCI has a proud tradition of volunteer support. The trainers and participants volunteer their services for breeding and puppy raising programs. It is not uncommon for one to be put on a waiting list to become puppy raisers.
Breeder dogs and their puppies are the basis of the foundation. To be selected for the breeder program, the dogs must endure an intensive evaluation process. The process includes examining the dogs’ temperament, trainability, health, physical attributes, litter mate trends, and the production history of the dam and sire. All CCI animals begin their training in the homes of “puppy raisers”, which teach them the basic of being obedient and understanding commands.
Between the age of 14-17 months old, the dogs begin an eight-month training program that is more advance at a CCI facility, where they master a bevy of verbal commands that include, but not limited to opening doors, flipping light switches, and retrieving objects. The dogs work as companions for about eight years. Over 1200 individuals nationwide have been matched with CCI since the organization’s inception. However, individuals that want a dog from CCI must prove that their physical and/or developmental disability warrants them the participation in the CCI program. Nonetheless, after the animals are with the companion for about eight years, they are often spayed and/or neutered and placed back in the “puppy raiser’s” home in which they came from as loving pets.

KEY ISSUES:
Founded strictly on voluntary bases, CCI had to be concerned about that attitudes and behaviors of the “puppy raiser”, since the animals could be directly affected by the “puppy raisers” attitude and personal behavior. Furthermore, these dogs were going to be companions of the disabled and/or the developmental challenged individual who needed help. Therefore, the puppy raisers attitudes were very important to CCI.
If the animal were to end up in the hands of a puppy raiser that had an attitude that is not suitable for the dog to become a companion for someone down the road, this could be bad for both the companion and the dog. Whereas, CCI needed to review the appropriate approach to note what attitudes and behaviors that will be accepted by the puppy raisers, so that this would not affect the animal and companion relationship.

ALTERNATIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:

The alternatives that CCI was facing, was to have an extensive background check on it’s puppy raisers, or to bring on personnel for just the raising of the puppy with implementation of costing CCI money. Paying for personnel was not a viable solution, because CCI needed the funds for other programs within the company. It is recommended that CCI do a survey of the puppy raisers to determine what type of attitude the puppy raisers have. It is also recommended that CCI do an aptitude test for the puppy raisers to see what type of behavior the animal will most like be confronted with.
Since CCI has puppy raisers of all ages, such as stay-at-home mothers, working professionals and retirees, this test should be projected to age differences as well as gender. This will help give a better result of the information that is needed by the company. This will not be a totally solution to the problem but, it will to determine the ethical and unethical behaviors and attitudes that some puppy raisers might have, or might be with the home that the animal is raised in; which was another issue that need to be addressed, and was noted that it could be covered through the survey.

IMPLEMENTED PLAN: There were certain rules in place when it came to being puppy raisers. The rules were put in place to keep the animals and the puppy raisers from getting to close and becoming attached to each other; because the animal was to be with the puppy raiser only temporarily. CCI had a goal to raise miracles one puppy at a time. Therefore social learning needs to be implemented to shape the puppy raisers attitude.
This helped with factors such as commitment within the organization, with an outcome of great values and job satisfaction. However, the need for achievement needed to be placed within the mind set of the puppy raisers. This would be done by good motivation factors such as giving the puppy raisers the notion that their work will do the world some good.
This brings the puppy raises instrumental and terminal values to high level with factors such as helpfulness, responsibility, but not limited to social respect, mature love, and inner peace. CCI must keep in mind that the dogs that are raised and trained, and what they bring to people, are at the heart and soul of the program. Many volunteer breeder caretakers report an immense feeling of pride and satisfaction in seeing CCI breeders produce pups with a purpose.

REFERENCES

Half the Time Half the Cost, BMS (1999), Penton Media, Inc.

Harley-Davidson, Inc, Thomas Carson and Mary Bonk (1999), Gale Encyclopedia

Organizational Behavior, Debra L. Nelson and James Campbell Quick, (2006), Thomson South-Western