STORIES

1976 - NEADS - 2001

Where tails wag, partnerships begin, lives change.

Just ask . . .

Barbara Spano and Hearing Dog Lilly (Class of Fall, 1995)
One February morning, Lilly, a white Standard Poodle, woke Barbara as she
normally does when the alarm clock sounds by jumping on the bed and nudging
her face. But this morning, Barbara rolled over and went back to sleep.
Lilly appeared again, this time more persistent. Barbara then noticed that
her room was lighting up and the floor was vibrating. She was not able to
hear the crash of a tractor-trailer truck striking a utility pole in front
of her house. Live wires were down in the street and had been pulled away
from her house. The firefighters said it was lucky her home did not catch
on fire. Lilly did her job well.

or . . .

An Inmate Who Participated in the Prison PUP Partnership
In a letter written upon Pride's graduation to NEADS' advanced training
program, she writes: "Pride (a black Labrador retriever) has lived up to
her name and all it stands for and in doing so taught me the same.
Professionalism: to be proud of whatever job I may be doing and to do it
as a representative of that profession. Respect: for Pride, for myself,
for people around me, and more importantly, trying to emulate the struggles
of a handicapped person in order to know what to teach Pride to do. I've
gained an enormous amount of respect for what those people live with every
day of their lives. Integrity: no false pretenses, no hidden agendas, no
ulterior motives. To give and receive love, that's it. Dignity: she
walks with it . . . she makes me walk with it. Maybe her natural dignity
will add to theirs, for how could someone not be proud to have a dog like
this by their side?"

or . . .

Paulette Valentin and Social Dog Ginger (Graduating October, 2001)
Paulette and her mom, Nechy, just completed a week of training on the NEADS
campus. Although a stroke at the tender age of two left Paulette paralyzed
and unable to speak, we witnessed just how well Ginger (a yellow Labrador
retriever) and this determined 9-year old girl were able to communicate.
During an early training session and following instructions to help
facilitate her bond with Ginger, Paulette would signal her mother every 10
minutes to help her give a treat to Ginger. Following Ginger's play
session with other dogs in-training, Paulette would shake Ginger's leash so
her mom would return Ginger to her promptly. And in just a few weeks being
home together, Paulette is already making new friends thanks to Ginger.
Nechy writes, "Paulette is being invited to birthday parties that she never
was invited to before just because of her condition."

Just a few of the thousands of "tails" spanning NEADS' 25 years.
There are thousands more yet to be told.