Going on an adventure today

[chip]

 I had some time off between the holidays, so like usual the wife (Gayln) found something for me to do.(A little back ground on her will help to get the full affect) She's a little over involved with her job, and often brings it home.

She is the Office Administrator/Trainer for an organization named Support Dogs of St.Louis . www.Supportdogs.org That is a photo of 5 of our 6 in our yard. We do a lot of outings with our dogs thru Support Dogs.Then about once a week she takes one of the girls to the city library for a program call Paws for reading.So here is a pic of Corona (the yellow lab sleeping on her back) at the library. The idea here is that some children with reading difficulties have a hard time reading out loud to their classmates,and then may get a little ribbing from the other kids. So they separate and read out loud to the dogs, they don' care how you read as long as they get some attention.
Then here recently she and I have been working on a program involving returning disabled  veterans. The veterans are training dogs to become service dogs as sort of a rehab program. This gives them something to look forward to and feel good about each day, while helping out someone else.
Heres one of our dogs at camp hope  http://www.chrisnealfarm.com/main/ welcoming home a few Marines. And another with Tom Browhaw , Gayln and one of the vets and the puppy he helped train. One day a week Gayln goes to a minimum security prison where they are training about 10 dogs to be service dogs. I have helped a little with this program, kind of interesting in the womens prison. Reminds me of my air force basic training more than a prison. Sorry no photos from prison.This has been an interesting experience. For todays adventure we go to the mens max. security to negotiate a training program there.This could be interesting. We will be helping them with all the needs and safety of the dogs . And what will be involved with a program like this. It will be a added PITA for the guards, how will they react to the extra work and responsibilities ? Lots to think about today. Just thought I'd share all this with the group.

[Spirited-6]

This is great. Thanks for sharing. 

[Karen]

You DO meet the nicest people on a Honda! That's giving on so many levels it takes my breath away.

[chip]

 I'm back, very interesting I think that I'm really going to keep my nose clean. I had said the womens min. security was like my basic training, after viewing the mens max. security I'll say it was more of a vacation, with limited entertainment. Spent most of our tour in the yard with the honor prisoners ,some of which shared with us that they had only saw drug dogs over the last twenty or more years.You could watch the tough guys starting to drop their attitudes, as they massaged the dogs. The same as when the dogs go to the hospitals and nursing homes the patients seem to forget for a short time about their pain and problems. I hope Gayln and Support Dogs can get this program off the ground. After getting approval for a grant, they would most likely start with rescues from shelters to train the prisoners to be trainers then start training them to train Support Dogs for assistance dogs. This could be a year down the road, the womens prison turns out some of the best working dogs we have seen. Its a win ,win situation for everyone.It gives the inmates something to do 24/7 and gives someone with special needs  a well trained companion.