USM/LA to welcome Mission Working Dogs founder via Zoom

LEWISTON — Heroes, dogs, and new kinds of lifelong learning will be the focus of the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College Senior College’s upcoming “Food for Thought” Zoom session.

Christy Gardner, founder and president of Mission Working Dogs, a Lewiston-based nonprofit that trains purpose-bred dogs to help people with disabilities, will be featured at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 18.

Gardner’s passion for dogs has deep and personal roots. Serving as a sergeant in the U.S. Army Military Police in Asia, she survived an injury in 2006 that eventually led her to accept her Golden Retriever service dog, Moxie, in 2010. The two became inseparable and Moxie accompanied her on many “missions”. including competing with Team USA as an athlete on the Women’s Para Ice Hockey Team and the USA Para Surfing Team.

Gardner is a world-class Paralympic thrower and aspires to be on the U.S. Paralympic team for Tokyo 2021. As a certified dog trainer with nine years experience training service and therapy dogs, and five years of breeding experience, she brought her dream of empowering others to life with the creation of Mission Working Dogs.

Gardner lives in Maine with her dogs Moxie, Doug and Libby. They enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer, from kayaking and hiking to relaxing at their camp in western Maine.

In this presentation for Food For Thought, she will introduce her dogs and explain how service dogs can help people with physical disabilities, people with PTSD, stroke victims and others. These dogs and their trainers create an environment in which the handler can live fully and more independently.

For a link to this presentation, send an e-mail [email protected]. Register by Wednesday, March 17 at noon to receive a link by email. People must register their name and the name of the presenter they wish to see.

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