Advanced Puppies For Parole
Tax deductible
The purpose of this fund raising campaign is to allow us ( COMTREA Comprehensive Health Center and the Missouri Department of Corrections) to continue our partnership to train rescue dogs as "Certified Helpers" for people who need them.
Before starting this training titled "Advanced Puppies for Parole" (AP4P), the dogs have already completed basic training and passed the American Kennel Club Good Citizenship Test in "Puppies for Parole" (P4P). P4P is an award winning and internationally recognized Missouri Department of Corrections training program facilitated by offenders, staff and volunteers in all 19 long-term Missouri prisons.
Because of this "pre-training" and beause the bulk of needed vet care has already been provided, the AP4P budget is much smaller than it would be otherwise. To run the program for a year we need $92,750. This will facilitate the placement of up to 100 dogs.
What do we use the money for?
The biggest part of our program is staff time. We need a person to promote the dogs to people and organizations who would benefit. This not only includes companion dogs but also those trained for a plethora of special purposes (i.e. getting help when a person has a seizure; alerting parents when a child with autism leaves the house; letting staff know when a nursing home resident falls; waking a person with PTSD from a nightmare; comforting a child undergoing a painful medical procedure, etc.)
After promotion, our staff gets really busy! People or organizations interested in adopting a "Certified Helper Dog" want all possible information about AP4P. They want to talk about their needs, their fears and their hopes in how the dog can make their life better. They want consultation and advice. They want to talk to family members, co-workers and friends and get opinions. They are very cautious and rightfully so. A big part of our job within all this communicating is making sure the home will be good for the dog and the dog will be good for the home. A compatible match is crucial. But all this takes time. There are numerous phone calls and emails generated by each adopter. It is not unusual for our staff to spend fifteen to twenty hours communicating with the adopter, the dog-trainer, prison coordinator, shelter, etc. to get JUST ONE DOG selected, trained and adopted.
Families look at the the Helper Dog adoption as though they are adding a new member to their family. Which of course they are. They are very careful in making a selection and this caution translates to time. And the communication doesn’t stop after adoption. The interaction then focuses on how the dog and family are adjusting to one another; identification of problems and solutions; and also of capturing research data about the success of the placement. In addition to the communication, our budget provides funding help for trainers, partnering shelters, unexpected vet care, transportation costs, clerical support, research/program evaluation and more. For more information and stories please see us on FaceBook at
https://www.facebook.com/advancedpuppiesforparole
or visit our website at
www.advancedpuppiesforparole.org
Before starting this training titled "Advanced Puppies for Parole" (AP4P), the dogs have already completed basic training and passed the American Kennel Club Good Citizenship Test in "Puppies for Parole" (P4P). P4P is an award winning and internationally recognized Missouri Department of Corrections training program facilitated by offenders, staff and volunteers in all 19 long-term Missouri prisons.
Because of this "pre-training" and beause the bulk of needed vet care has already been provided, the AP4P budget is much smaller than it would be otherwise. To run the program for a year we need $92,750. This will facilitate the placement of up to 100 dogs.
What do we use the money for?
The biggest part of our program is staff time. We need a person to promote the dogs to people and organizations who would benefit. This not only includes companion dogs but also those trained for a plethora of special purposes (i.e. getting help when a person has a seizure; alerting parents when a child with autism leaves the house; letting staff know when a nursing home resident falls; waking a person with PTSD from a nightmare; comforting a child undergoing a painful medical procedure, etc.)
After promotion, our staff gets really busy! People or organizations interested in adopting a "Certified Helper Dog" want all possible information about AP4P. They want to talk about their needs, their fears and their hopes in how the dog can make their life better. They want consultation and advice. They want to talk to family members, co-workers and friends and get opinions. They are very cautious and rightfully so. A big part of our job within all this communicating is making sure the home will be good for the dog and the dog will be good for the home. A compatible match is crucial. But all this takes time. There are numerous phone calls and emails generated by each adopter. It is not unusual for our staff to spend fifteen to twenty hours communicating with the adopter, the dog-trainer, prison coordinator, shelter, etc. to get JUST ONE DOG selected, trained and adopted.
Families look at the the Helper Dog adoption as though they are adding a new member to their family. Which of course they are. They are very careful in making a selection and this caution translates to time. And the communication doesn’t stop after adoption. The interaction then focuses on how the dog and family are adjusting to one another; identification of problems and solutions; and also of capturing research data about the success of the placement. In addition to the communication, our budget provides funding help for trainers, partnering shelters, unexpected vet care, transportation costs, clerical support, research/program evaluation and more. For more information and stories please see us on FaceBook at
https://www.facebook.com/advancedpuppiesforparole
or visit our website at
www.advancedpuppiesforparole.org
Organiser
Judy Kear Finnegan
Organiser
Hillsboro, MO
Community Treatment, Inc (Comtrea)
Beneficiary