Come Play with Our Puppies!

If you’ve always wanted to hang out with a group of small adorable puppies, now you can!

Assistance dogs need to be well socialized in puppyhood in order to mature into well rounded, confident, friendly adult dogs. To meet this very important need, we offer puppy petting for the public at our Laura J. Niles Early Learning Center. For the price of a very small donation (see below), we invite members of the community to visit with our puppies four days a week. Puppy petters get to pat puppies, cuddle with them, handle them, and play with them under the supervision of NEADS staff.

Puppy petting is loads of fun, but it is also serious training for the puppies. During these sessions NEADS trainers subtly teach the puppies not to jump, and to be gentle and polite when they greet new people. This experience gives our trainers an opportunity to begin teaching our puppies basic manners right from the start. And this gives you, a dog lover, the opportunity to spend some time with our smart, sweet puppies and the satisfaction of knowing that you’re helping us to train our incredible assistance dogs!

Admission:  Children: $2/Adults: $3

Puppy petting sessions are generally available Mon-Thurs from 4-5 pm. Space is limited, so please call ahead (978-422-9064 ext 16). Children are welcome, but all kids under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult, and kids under 18 must have a signed waiver from a parent/guardian. 

Consider joining the Puppy Pal's Club!

For $30 a year, an entire family of four gets unlimited visits during our puppy petting sessions. Call us and stop by NEADS to join the Puppy Pal's Club today!

Interested in becoming a volunteer at the puppy house? Email the Early Learning Center!