From a volunteer:
It was very cool. Mike had been very different since the last graduation. His dog was not addopted. In the beginning of the program he talked about how he went to a lot of dog fights and it did not mean much. He seemed so hard / cold towards the dogs. Last week, Kelly [facilitator] was talking about how they have to put some dogs down due to lack of room. Angela [co-facilitator] was talking with Mike yesterday. After a long talk he told her how he is going to miss his dog and does not want him to be put down. He told her he has never been attached to anyone or any thing before. The shelter manager as well as Angela reassured him that his dog will not be put down. She said he is a husky, and she would rather wait a while and find the right owner than let him go to a house that would not be correct for him. Then she told Mike that his dog was addopted on Wednesday to a guy that had a husky background. It was crazy to see the difference in Mike from the beginning of the class to the end.
Paul
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Adopters of Lucy,
Lucy is a Redbone Coonhound and she’s about 1 year old. She is a beautiful dog. She loves attention and she needs it. Since I have been with her, I have made a bond with her. She trusts me, so I can tell whoever is adopting her is going to have a good relationship with Lucy. She’s also very smart. She knows when she has to be serious and knows when she can play. You’re very lucky. She likes to jump when she gets excited, but rarely. She is very food motivated. If you have a treat, she’ll do just about anything. I look forward all week to coming here and spending time with her and even though I have been frustrated by her, I actually love her. She’s come such a far way from the beginning and I really think she deserves a good home. She likes people and enjoys being outside. She listens very well and knows her name. She has learned come, sit, stay, down, watch me, and is learning to walk on a leash properly. Good luck and please show her as much time as possible.
Damion
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Dear Family,
Princeton is a taste of heaven. He can turn a frown upside down. He doesn't care who you are, what you look like or what you wear. He loves to play and snuggle. He loves treats and massages...especially belly rubs. There's so much I have to say about him, but so little time. We went through a lot together. He was a jumper and he loved to bark. He would never listen when somebody would call his name. He would bounce off the walls for treats. Now he is really doing great! I hope he impacts your life as much as he did mine. He showed me it was okay to open up and love, it was okay to be different, and it was okay to make mistakes...and still get past it. God brought me to him for a reason and now he's yours for a reason. Don't forget, the little things can truly be the biggest. I hope you guys give him lots and lots of love because he will do the same for you. He's God's gift to the doggy world, and a gift to mine. So I hope he takes his love and I hope you take these words, "Sometimes something so small can be so big." I hope Princeton makes you as happy as he makes me. I say makes instead of made, because when I think of him I'll always smile.
Always,
L.H.
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From student H
"Today is my last day in the dog program and its actually really upsetting to me. I'm going to miss Miss Lisa and all the other helpers in this program a lot. I appreciate and can't even to begin to explain how thankful I am to have them help us. I learned so much about myself and others in this program. I am very happy that I got to be in this dog program and got to experience meeting such wonderful people. I'm truly going to miss each and every one that devoted their time to us."
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MCJJC - Happy Adopter
"We are so happy to have Charlie be a part of our family! He makes us
smile every day with his happy disposition and playful personality. He
is always walking around with a ball or toy in his mouth and LOVES to be
around people. He is a very social dog. Charlie will shake, lay down,
and roll over to get his treats. He is also keeping us in shape
because he loves to go for walks and runs around the neighborhood. We
love Charlie and are so pleased with his manners and sweet personality."
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Oh Amy,
We LOVE Jada! She is doing extremely well with us. Our vet said it looked like she never lived inside. Now she has discovered "her" couch and would rather be there than eat! She is becoming more relaxed, or rather less wary, every day. She is very smart. She will walk with me on the Gentle Leader without much fuss. And she loves the Dog Park in Lake Orion. The first time we took her, she just about ran away. She would come to Michael's whistle, but not for me. I tried again the following week, and she came to me every time I called. I think she needed to learn her new name. We have lots more work to do with her training, but I know I would never have adopted her when she was "Twin Turbo," so all the work of your program has paid off. My goal is to have our training completed so that we can come visit the program next summer!
Thanks!
Alexis
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My name is Sean Waymaster and I am the principal of Kingsley Montgomery School in the Waterford School District. We provide support for 14 school districts for low incident, special education students. I am proud to say that Teacher’s Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together has been with us at Kingsley for the past two years providing a vital component to our treatment and support of severely emotionally impaired middle school and high school students.
Teacher’s Pet rescues dogs that would be other wise euthanized and pairs them with severely emotionally impaired students to train the dog in basic obedience commands through positive training techniques. The program is basically at-risk dogs being cared for and trained by at-risk students. The dogs gain survival skills to be adopted and the students gain empathy skills to become more effective citizens of the world.
Teacher’s Pet has been featured at our local school board meetings, county wide in-services, in the Oakland Press, Observer & Eccentric, Detroit Free Press, Chicago Tribune and in USA Today. Fox 2 recently featured the program when we graduated our third class of dogs.
Students, staff and families that have participated all report on the positive benefits of Teacher’s Pet. All of the dogs that have participated have been adopted by families outside of the school.
I highly recommend Teacher’s Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together to become part of your program.
Sincerely,
Sean WaymasterPrincipal,
Kingsley Montgomery School
4265 Halkirk
Waterford, MI 48329
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I just want to take a quick moment to compliment you...please humor me. I've been doing pr and marketing for 15 years and can't even count the number of non-profits I have subsequently dealt with. Met many wonderful people doing many wonderful things. However, every once in a while something new pops up, grabs you and reminds you how creative people can be in their altruism. I was very impressed last night...very excited...I just love what you do. I have a soft spot for the "underdog" (no pun intended), no matter the species; and seeing the symbiotic relationship that had developed between those kids and those dogs as they did their presentations, showing off their hard work...just fantastic. I really commend you. I walked away all smiles, just shaking my head...it felt "good" to be
there. I almost felt bad taking Kush away from "J". What a nice young man. We're keeping the name "Kush" in honor of the work he did.
Anyway...Kush is doing just fine so far. He's sleeping at my feet right now. My son is beside himself with excitement...good birthday so far. The introduction to our cat went perfect...couldn't have asked for better. Jacob and I took him to the vet today...she found quite a few scars and bite marks on his body...seems Kush has had a rough start to life. But, my son and I will do everything we can to make sure the rest of his life is full of lazy moments sleeping on a soft pillow, exploratory walks on trails and in the neighborhood, high energy games of fetch, lots of hugs, good food, and much more.
I'll let you know if I run into any problems or have any questions. Thank you for everything you did to help in my pursuit of finding the right "gift" for my son. You did well. Also, I do not have her e-mail, so please pass on my appreciation to Laura, as well.
Keep up the good work and let me know if there is ever anything I can do
for you.
Tony Lasher
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From Student S
I’m writing you this letter to thank you for everything you’ve done for all of us. You’ve truly been a blessing to me, and I honestly think of you as one of the nicest people on earth. Not only for what you do for us, but for all the time, money, and effort you spend with animals. You have so much heart. You have inspired me to become a better person inside and outside of society. I can’t really thank you enough for that. I have a lot of respect for you and what you do. You’ve changed the perspective of so many people’s lives, including mine. When I first came to dog training, I was lacking so many qualities that I know cherish. Thank you for everything. Woof Woof!
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From Student P
Thank you. The word Thank You is used to express great gratitude. But I feel Thank You is just not a strong enough word to use to express my gratitude. You guys, believe it or not, have done a lot for me. You taught me not to give up on someone no matter what, especially when I wanted to give up on My Scooby. You’ve taught me patience; we all know how stubborn Scooby could get. But finally, you gave me something to enjoy and to look forward to every Tuesday and Thursday. I could be feeling down and you guys and the dogs would just put me in the best mood. I really really am going to miss you all very much. Please don’t forget me, because I shall never forget you!
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From Student D
Thank you soooo much for everything you have done. I have learned so much from this program and it makes me happy to know we have saved 7 dogs. I’ve learned a lot about dogs, many things that I never knew. I really hope that all the dogs go to a good home. Also, I really hope you continue to do this program and save dogs. The dog I was training was great. I don’t understand how people could be so cruel to such beautiful animals. So yeah, thank you a lot for training us train dogs J. Well that’s all. Keep doing good for animals because they’re worth it.
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From Student M
For starters, I just want to let you know I am very thankful for the dog program you have hosted for us and many other people. This program helped me figure out a lot too. For example, I always knew that I wanted to go to Michigan State University; I just couldn't figure out what I wated to do. Now I know that I want to be a veteranarian to help all animals. You all inspired me to do something great on top of all the dog training. Every time I came to training in a bad mood, that mood would always get better. Thanks to you all, the environment and of course, Buddy! I never would have known so much about myself or dogs if I hadn't done this program. So thank you for everything, Amy, Angela, and all other volunteers.
