Born three months premature with cerebral palsy, 17-year-old Courtney Gibson used to be shy and quiet at school. Few kids talked to her, deterred by the wheelchair and walker she uses to get around the Academy for Sciences and Agriculture in Vadnais Heights.

Enter Westin, a four-legged friend who helped Gibson come out of her shell. A golden retriever/Labrador mix provided by the nonprofit Canine Assistants, Westin works as a service dog and is constantly by Gibson's side. In addition to providing Gibson with companionship, assistance, and security, he has effectively torn down walls between the teenager and other kids.

"I didn't have very many friends and people didn't talk to me as much," says Gibson, a triplet from Little Canada who got Westin about four years ago. "He helps me break down social barriers and people talk to me more."

At the suggestion of a friend, Gibson's mother, Carrie, put Courtney on the waiting list for a Canine Assistants service dog. Unlike some other organizations, Canine Assistants provides dogs for disabled children. Having cerebral palsy and occasional seizures made Gibson a prime candidate. After a few years on the Canine Assistants waiting list, Courtney and her mom spent two weeks at its Georgia headquarters to go through its training program.

Canine Assistants has been pairing dogs with people in need since 1991. It places 75 to 100 dogs a year, totaling about 1,500. Demand is quite high for its pooches. There are 1,600 people on its waiting list, and it takes about two years to train each dog, says Dr. Heidi Hulon, a veterinarian and senior veterinary technical consultant for Elanco, an animal health company and a sponsor of Canine Assistants.

Each dog learns about 90 commands and can help with a multitude of tasks, such as opening doors, turning on and off light switches, picking up items, going for help, and pulling wheelchairs. Many of the dogs can detect seizures, either staying by their human's side, summoning help, or retrieving a phone, depending on the person's needs.

Recipients get the dogs for free, and the organization also covers the cost of their training, food, and medical bills for their entire lives — to the tune of roughly $20,000 per dog. Canine Assistants dogs also visit children's hospitals to comfort sick kids and help them get through procedures or illnesses, providing some stress relief to doctors and nurses in the process.

Elanco wanted to get involved with Canine Assistants because of the life-changing impact these dogs have on their companions' lives. "It takes them from someone who has a disability to them being just a person with a dog," Hulon says. "It gives them hope and it gives them newfound strength to go out and face the world. It's social and emotional support."

Carrie Gibson can attest to that. When her daughter got Westin, he helped Courtney overcome her fear of doctor's appointments and X-rays, and he makes her feel more comfortable when she stays home alone. Now this once-shy girl speaks up in class, gives speeches about service dogs, participates in the annual science fair, and volunteers at a nursing home. Overall, Courtney has grown more independent since she got Westin, says Carrie Gibson.

"I definitely feel more confident," says Gibson. "Without Westin, I wouldn't volunteer as much in class and I wouldn't have very many friends."

Suzy Frisch is a freelance writer based in the Twin Cities.