National Education for Assistance Dog Services, Inc (NEADS) trains dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes to help people who are deaf or physically disabled.   These assistance dogs become extensions of their owners, allowed to go everywhere with them, to bring security, independence and relief from the social isolation that often accompanies their human partners.   NEADS trains specialty dogs to assist people who have aural or other physical disabilities, to help children and adults who can benefit from the therapeutic value of a dog, and to assist special educators and therapists who work with disabled children. (source: www.neads.org (c) 2000)

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          The NEADS program, first known as the Hearing Dog Program, began in October 1976 in Massachusetts.   In 1988 the program expanded its training to that of "service" dogs to help people who have physical disabilities and changed its name to NEADS in 1989.   Now headquartered in Princeton, MA, NEADS has graduated over 650 working canines since its inception.   There are local NEADS Chapters in 15 states, including Maine.   Maine's Chapter was started in 1993 and has 8 dogs this year:  Rigby (5 mos. old), Quoddy (7 mos. old), Maggi (15 mos. old), Shamus (13 mos. old), Shelby (9 mos. old), Honor (11 weeks old), Sarge (11 weeks old), and Jasmine (16 mos.). Freedom (11 mos. old) and Eli (9 mos. old) are from the NH Chapter but attend all the Maine Chapter meetings.  The Maine Chapter has raised 54 dogs and 23 have graduated.

     The state coordinator for Maine is Linda Sargent.   She lives in Southern Maine and oversees the "puppy raisers" (foster families) and breeders  who participate in the program.   Participation is done on a volunteer basis and Linda has puppy raisers in Westbrook, Standish, Bangor, Hampden, Lisbon Falls, Newport, Bar Mills, Rockport, Portland, Saco, Mt. Vernon, Buxton, Jackman, Vassalboro, Stafford, NH, So. Portland, Gray, Windham, Scarborough, and Gardner.   Breeders from Newport, Camden, Vassalboro, Morrill, Little Deer Isle, Guilford, Milford, New Sharon, Bethel, and even other states have donated puppies to the program.   Veterinarians near the puppy raisers also donate all medical services to these dogs.  

     Once a puppy raiser or foster family has been, found Linda is tasked with finding a breeder to donate a puppy.   Once the puppy is placed, the raisers must attend a mandatory meeting (a.k.a. "puppy day") each month with NEADS.   These meetings serve as an opportunity for the dogs to socialize and train with other NEADS dogs.   The raisers must also attend dog obedience school with their puppies.   Since they raise the puppies for a year and a half it is very important that they teach basic skills like obedience, listening, retrieving, and social skills.   Raisers bring their puppies everywhere: the workplace, grocery stores, doctors offices, malls, schools, airports, airplanes, etc.   After a year and half with the raiser, the puppies are sent back to NEADS and put through intensive 6 month training regiment before they are placed with their client, or human counterpart.   The client must then spend two weeks at the NEADS training center with the dog to finalize their training and placement with one another.   Then they are sent home together - as a graduated Service Dog and proud owner.   Puppies who don't graduate, "Fabulous Flunkies" as they are known, can be adopted by loving homes. 

     These NEADS puppies become part of the foster family - just like any other dog - which makes giving them up after a year and a half difficult.   Even so, many of the raisers will do it again.   Linda Green, a raiser in Southern Maine, had raised 3 puppies for NEADS.   Her latest, Windham, is currently in Princeton at the NEADS training center.   He will be graduating from the program in October and will then be placed with a client.  

      Gail Vernali, a breeder from Connecticut, donated several puppies to NEADS this year.   It's her first year donating puppies and she volunteers once a week to train inmates with puppies at the York Correctional Institute in Connecticut.   There are 5 puppies at the prison and Gail says "Just knowing that these pups will be possibly going on to do such an honorable job makes me feel that I have accomplished something good.   In working with the inmates I have found that the pups not only help the inmates but they help the prison guards and everyone involved become better people."  Two of her puppies came to Maine - Honor and Sarge.   Honor was placed with Holly from Jackman and Sarge was placed with Ellen in Bangor (Ellen has already raised 3 puppies who have all graduated and become Service Dogs).

     At this young age, Honor and Sarge will work on puppy obedience and socialization for the first 6 months then move into the more intense training with their raisers.   As they get older they'll train with the likes of Rigby, Quoddy, and Freedom to name a few, at the monthly puppy day.   During those training sessions the dogs learn to retrieve things like telephones, key chains, bags, umbrellas and anything else that a person may drop and need help picking up or reaching.   The dogs are also trained while a distraction is present - someone walking around them and talking to them, having a toy thrown to them - things that could possibly interfere with the dog's concentration.   The dogs are taught to overcome the distraction and stay focused.   The raisers will pay close attention to what may frighten their dog such as an idling car or an open umbrella, and work with the dog to overcome that fear.   The dogs are heavily encouraged throughout the training exercises for positive reinforcement of what they've accomplished. 

     Kathy McKeon waited 3 years for a service dog that was suitable for her needs.   With her daughter headed off to college they realized she would be in trouble without any help.   Kathy said her physician encouraged her to get a service dog because "... making me move about with the dog would be better for me physically - all around it was the perfect solution."   Finally, 4 years ago, she was paired with a chocolate lab raised in Maine named Rebel.   His favorite thing to do is play ball, which is great exercise for him and a wonderful way for them to bond.   Kathy is currently teaching Rebel how to do the laundry - by having him pick up socks from the floor and drop them in to the washer.  He's hasn't quite mastered it yet but he's giving it his all.   To Rebel, it's a game, but to Kathy it's a great help.   Kathy still attends as many NEADS graduations as possible saying "Graduations are still very emotional for me because I know these people are going to go home with their dogs and learn how to work with their dog and vice versa.   They are just going to be helped so much."   

     Service dogs not only have a positive influence on their human counterparts, but also people who are close to their owners.  Rebel's relationship with Kathy has had a profound impact on her daughter Becky, a graduate of American University and now a graduate student pursuing a Masters in Education at William & Mary.  In college, Becky often used Rebel as an ice breaker for getting to know her co-eds.  When some one would ask if she had any siblings she would respond with "I have a brother but he's a real dog".   Now, Becky makes such an impact by using cute little stories about Rebel to open conversations wherever she goes.   This allows her the opportunity to raise awareness about service dogs and civil rights of the disabled.

      These dogs obviously play a large role in the success of the program but the raisers are equally as amazing.   Knowing they will be giving up the puppy they have raised for a year and a half must be very difficult but so many of them come back to the program and raise more puppies.   The comforting fact remains that these dogs are trained by loving raisers and then placed with some one who really needs them.   It makes all the efforts so worthwhile.   Lola Lee Lowman, the Maine Outreach Worker from NEADS, stresses how important the raisers are to the success of these dogs, "These raisers put so much time and effort into these dogs yet they know they will give them up in 12 or 18 months.   Their efforts contribute to the success of these dogs and this program."   It's easy to become attached to these special dogs.   By the time I left them I felt like I had known them all along... 

NEADS  ~  National Education for Assistance Dog Services, Inc.  Learn how you can become a puppy raiser or how to apply for a service dog.

Assistance Dogs International Association, Inc.  ~  Setting standards for the assistance dog industry.

Information on the American's with Disabilities act  ~  as it relates to
service dogs.

Madison the Service Dog  ~  Follow Madison, Maddie, and Denali through their training.

The Black Dog  ~  If you're looking for Black Dog gear, The General store is the place to find it.

Petopia  ~  The Internet Pet Paradise.

~a.p.~
June 21, 2000