Meet that Raiser

Meet our Puppy Raisers – a very special special group of NEADS volunteers who spend their time socializing Service Dogs in Training and reinforcing what they learn in prison.

black labrador puppy

Meeting Benson, NEADS Service Dog in Training

If you’ve attended Sunday Services [at First Parish in Wayland, MA] recently in person, you may have met Benson, a handsome NEADS Service Dog in Training. He is accompanied by Luke Rubin, who, along with his wife, Megan, are Benson’s Puppy Raisers…

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Raising a Superhero: Sue Feit and Knight

“It’s really rewarding to help prepare a dog to be a superhero,” muses NEADS board member and volunteer Sue Feit. And she knows: as Weekend Puppy Raisers, Sue and her…

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A Story about Parting Ways with the Dog You Just Raised

For Puppy Raiser Ed Nobrega, the hardest part early on (Fritz, weekend dog; Judy, weekend dog then full-time for 4 months (Phoenix beta)) when letting the dog go was not knowing whether the dog would make the cut after completing training and wondering what would happen to the dog….

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More than Just Loving a Dog

Because we see ourselves as dog lovers, we fall in love with the NEADS dog instead of with the work we do. The secret to letting go of the dog is to fall in love with the work, fall in love with the reasons for raising the dog in the first place. Being a dog raiser asks you to rise above average, to turn that love of dogs into a gift that you give away instead of keeping it for yourself.

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Meet the Raisers – Abby and Tracy Costa

Abby and Tracy are NEADS Puppy Raisers and are currently raising their first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Jane O’Neill

Jane is a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Maeve London

Maeve is a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Elsa Grant

Elsa is a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raisers – Kathy and Colleen

Kathy and Colleen recently started as Puppy Raisers and are currently raising their first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Cathy Weikel

Cathy recently started as a Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Michelle Lundquist

Michelle recently started as a Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Rick Eifler

Rick is a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising his second dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Monica

Monica recently started as a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising her first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Steven Heymann

Steven recently started as a NEADS Puppy Raiser and is currently raising his first dog.

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Meet the Raiser – Leah Bell

Leah as been a NEADS Puppy Raiser since 2019 and is currently raising Broadway.

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