Misstropolis

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Canine Companions for those in “NEADS”

by Robin Hauck

Email to a friendPrint this article

When I walk into our meeting I am greeted by not one but two warm and smiling faces - one human, one canine. Karen Masterson introduces me to Howard with the kind of pride a parent might bestow on a child. The gentle black Labradoodle regards me briefly before turning all his attention back to Karen. He walks beside her to the table, crawls under and waits patiently. For the duration of the interview I resist the urge to play with him. He is in training after all.

Karen is a “Puppy Raiser” for NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, based in Princeton, MA. An unpaid volunteer, she took Howard into her home when he was ten weeks old and will train and care for him for about a year. Her job is to expose Howard to as much as possible so he is acclimated and calm when he becomes responsible for someone else. Masterson takes Howard everywhere and must expose him to a long list of possible spooks – grates, open stairs, balloons, Santa Clauses, sirens, noisy sporting events. She attends weekly training sessions at the NEADS campus and keeps copious records of his progress.

But the job comes with big rewards. The difference the dogs make in their new owners’ lives is profound. She relates a story from the NEADS program Canines for Kids which pairs children with autism, cerebral palsy, paralysis or other disabilities with assistance dogs. A parent got up on stage and talked about her severely autistic child, who had not said a word in six years. After being with her NEADS dog for a few weeks, her mother said, she spoke again. She said “nice doggy.”

NEADS offers many ways for volunteers to get involved. Full-time puppy raisers like Karen are responsible for the dogs 24/7. Weekend puppy raisers take dogs Sat/Sun, often getting them from one of 12 Prison PUP Partneships NEADS operates throughout New England. The prison programs are critical to the success of the NEADS training programs. Participating inmates, who are carefully screened and trained, take dogs on as their full time job. On the inside, without the usual distractions, inmates can complete repetitious task and obedience training that is often impossible for others with daily demands. Weekends with part-time volunteers provide the socialization the dogs miss out on during the week.

The Fall Graduation ceremony will take place on October 28 at the Four Point Sheraton Hotel in Leominster, MA. This graduation is especially notable because two matches will be celebrated from a groundbreaking new program. Canines for Combat Veterans is the first program of its kind in the country. Working with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, NEADS matches Iraqi and Afghani vets with canine companions. Last October, Sergeant Roland Paquette became the first graduate of the Canine for Combat Veterans program. This year a female double amputee who was stationed in Afghanistan and a single amputee who sustained combat-related injuries in Iraq will be honored in the ceremony.

Graduation is free and open to the public. For people who have not had exposure to NEADS, it is a great way to learn about the organization and experience first hand the impact they make in peoples’ lives.

Consider visiting the NEADS campus, attending a graduation or perusing the website for ideas about how to get involved. “These dogs change lives,“ they say, “getting involved will change yours.“