West Boylston – On Wednesday, August 16, 2006 at 1:00 PM, NEADS’ Service Dogs in-training “Seymour” and “Sundee” joined the residents of the Almost Home Program for the next several months.  A collaboration between Dismas House, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, and the Massachusetts Parole Board, Almost Home provides a toolkit for successful reentry for its residents, offering needed substance abuse education and treatment, vocational, and computer classes to former Worcester County inmates.

An extension of NEADS’ successful Prison PUP Partnership Program, the dogs in the Almost Home program will live directly with the residents and participate in weekly training sessions with a NEADS trainer, reinforced by daily training exercises.  The dogs will then return to NEADS for final advanced training before being partnered with an adult or child living with a disability.

“We’re delighted to be working with Dismas House and their unique Almost Home program,” says NEADS’ Executive Director Sheila O’Brien.   “Everybody wins with this program:  the residents gain valuable vocational training; the dogs receive supervised, daily training; and most importantly, someone who is disabled will receive a highly-skilled canine assistant to help them live more independently.”

Sheriff Guy Glodis agrees.  "NEADS is a perfect fit for the community reintegration model we've organized for former inmates.  It gives them a chance to do something truly great for the community while also learning responsibility and structure."

NEADS/Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans of Princeton, MA, is celebrating its 30th year of partnering people who are deaf or physically disabled with highly-trained Assistance Dogs.  Seymour is a 13-month old Golden retriever, and Sundee is a 15-month old black Labrador retriever.

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