BANGOR – An extra pair of paws is a handy thing to have. That philosophy is one of the guiding principles at Golden Moments, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide disabled people with service and assistance dogs.

“Golden Moments,” said operations manager Clara Grover, “provides Maine dogs trained in Maine for Maine people.”

Grover, a former corrections officer at Down East Correctional Facility in Bucks Harbor, is a trainer in the Prison Pups Program at DECF. The program trains service dogs for National Education for Assistance Dog Services Inc., a Massachusetts organization that provides service dogs for people who are deaf or are in wheelchairs.

Established last January, Grover explained, Golden Moments currently has six puppies – Independence, Racer, Champion, Radar, Destiny and one as yet unnamed – in training to aid the disabled. Her goal is to have 30 puppies in training two years from now.

The puppies are trained for 14 to 16 weeks and live with the families who train them until they are ready to take up their duties as companions and helpers to disabled persons. Local breeders donated some of the puppies in the program, and others were purchased by individuals or organizations that donated the animals to Golden Moments.

Because of their easy temperament, golden retrievers and Labrador retrievers are usually selected, although, Grover said, Belgian shepherds also are a good choice. Recently, she accepted a Welsh Corgi into the program.

“A person in a wheelchair needs a small dog,” Grover said, “one that can ride on a platform attached to the wheelchair. Then, for example, when a light switch needs to be turned on, the dog can stand up on the platform and turn on the light.”

Turning on a light is just the beginning of what a pair of well-trained paws can do. The dogs, Grover said, can pick up dropped items; open doors; carry things; press an elevator button; help with shopping by fetching a selected item, carrying it and putting it on the checkout counter; fetch phones, TV remotes and keys; flush the toilet and even take clothes out of the dryer and put them in a basket.

One dog, assistant to a 6-year-old girl whose disability is cerebral palsy, figured out – without being taught – how to help the child to her feet when she fell down, Grover said. The dog also enhanced the girl’s social cachet at school because other children began to see beyond her disability and view her as a child with a very interesting dog.

Service and assistance dogs are guided by a “gentle leader,” which slips over the dog’s muzzle and does not interfere with the working of the dog’s mouth. The gentle leader makes the dog easier to control for someone with limited muscle strength.

B.J. Beaulieu of Old Town, Golden Moments receptionist and chairwoman of its public relations committee, said she was looking forward to getting a service dog. Beaulieu’s range of motion is limited by a muscle deficiency and joint-locking disability, which makes opening doors a challenge.

A service dog, she said, “will make it possible for me to live independently with dignity. When I go out, the dog will wear a pack and carry things I need, like a cell phone. Or if I fall at my apartment and can’t get up, it will pull an emergency cord so help will come.” In addition, she said, service dogs are great social ice-breakers.

“Without a dog, no one would come up to me and ask about my disability, for fear of being impolite,” she said, “but with a dog, people will ask me why I need one. That way I can educate them about the needs of the disabled and the needs of the puppy training program.”

Disabled persons are accepted into the Golden Moments service dog program by application, Grover said. Currently, four people are on the waiting list.

The cost of a Golden Moments service dog is $6,000, but Grover said the cost can be met by fund-raising efforts on the part of the person requesting a dog.

Many opportunities are available for organizations and individuals to sponsor part of the cost of a dog’s training, Grover said, and Golden Moments is seeking corporate, as well as individual, sponsors.

Golden Moments, located at 1147 Hammond St., is planning to relocate in about six weeks to the former Show Ring building on Wilson Street in Brewer.

The new facility, Grover said, will house offices, a doggie day care service, space for puppy trainer classes, space for dog socialization and obedience classes which are open to the public, and a small retail store which will sell Golden Moments T-shirts, scented candles and dog-related items.

For information about the puppy training program or to about organizing a fund-raiser, call 945-3647.