Not a single day has gone by that U.S. Army veteran Holly Koester has been away from her service dog, Flare, for more than a few minutes since they were matched four years ago.

Ms. Koester, who uses a wheelchair for mobility, said that’s because Flare has been her “door opener,” both literally and socially.

On Thursday, she was the keynote speaker at a biannual Assistance Dog Graduation event hosted by the Ability Center of Greater Toledo, which trained Flare, a 6-year-old female black Labrador retriever.

About 135 people attended the event at the Hilton Garden Inn ballroom in Perrysburg. Along with Flare, there were also eight 2-year-old Labrador retrievers graduating from the center’s Assistance Dog Program.

Along with the canines, who had been trained by the nonprofit since birth, t

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