Three special dogs are inviting the public to attend their graduation at Wartburg College Monday, May 19.

The canines from Retrieving Freedom, the non-profit organization that assists wounded veterans, disabled citizens, and handicapped children, will celebrate their graduation from training and placement in new homes during a 6:30 p.m. ceremony in Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center second-floor classrooms.

The community is welcome to attend the event, which will include a meet-and-greet. The dogs will be given to their new owners with Waverly-Shell Rock School District second graders presenting Memphis, a dog they worked with, to a recipient.

Retrieving Freedom nurtures the unique abilities of service dogs to provide their new partners with an increased sense of independence along with therapeutic companionship. The dogs have been immersed into the Waverly community, working with individuals in the W-SR schools, the Larrabee Center for persons with disabilities and the elderly and at other sites.

Wartburg College students have helped train Retrieving Freedom dogs as part of coursework in recent years.

Retrieving Freedom relies on contributions to provide local individuals and families in need with assistance and critical services. For more information, contact Retrieving Freedom at http://retrievingfreedom.org/ or call 319-290-0350.

Raymi Ackerman ’16 from Grundy Center and Mikayla Cota ’17 from Red Wing, Minnesota, work at the Larrabee Center with Memphis, who will graduate as a trained service dog Monday, May 19. The students are in the social work course Working with Different Abilities.