In July, puppies from the Puppy Development Center at UNC PAWS at The Farm at Penny Lane in Pittsboro were part of a “Bump” that paired assistance-dogs-in-training with veterans and other clients with disabilities. The event was held at St. Marys Correctional Center, a medium-security men’s prison in St. Marys, West Virginia.
The Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health’s Puppy Development Center partners with paws4people, a Wilmington non-profit organization nationally known for training assistance dogs, to prepare the puppies for their new roles as assistance dogs. The puppies are often named for a deceased or injured veteran.
First, puppies between the ages of 6 and 16 weeks arrive at the Center and spend about 10 weeks in a socialization phase.
“Clients from the Center, students, seniors and other community members accompany the puppies on community outings to meet people of all ages and desensitize them with sights and sounds they may encounter as a service dog,” explains Sunny Westerman, program manager of the UNC Puppy Development Center.
After the socialization training in Orange, Chatham and Wake counties, puppies go to one of five prisons in West Virginia, where they are trained by inmates for about a year. Puppies live with inmates, learn about 100 commands, and are then ready to choose the individual for whom they’ll become an assistance dog at an event called a Bump.
Westerman was excited to make the trip to West Virginia to see the puppies choose their clients.
“I reunited with a few puppies from the first litter who lived at the Puppy Development Center—CHAMP, TULLY and regular guest, NOLEN,” she says. “It was amazing to see our babies all grown up.”
The “human” participants attended the event after being selected by paws4people to take part in the Bump. Most were veterans with physical disabilities and/or post-traumatic stress and brain injuries.
“The experience was incredibly emotional,” she continues. “Individuals who needed an assistance dog to enhance their quality of life shared their personal stories.”
“Several inmates who participated in the program said they had experienced the feeling of self-worth for the first time in their lives and were proud that they are able to give something back to their community. “
Finally, one by one, five or six dogs approached the clients, spending about five minutes with each. Some dogs were immediately affectionate and interested in interacting, and others were aloof, Westerman says. But in the end, the dogs chose their clients.
The dogs then headed to Wilmington to be trained by UNC-Wilmington student trainers in the paws4people program to meet the specific needs of the individuals they chose. They will also receive periodic training with those individuals.
“I was (and am) so proud and honored to have been part of this remarkable journey,” says Westerman.
Photo: Veteran Matthew Currin, paws4people client and CHAMPION called “CHAMP”, named for 1st Sgt. John Champion, Jr., (US Army Ret), a veteran with chronic complex post-traumatic stress disorder who took his life in 2009. Champion is the brother of paws4people’s Deputy Operations Director Celeste “Cece” Miller.