The End of an Era

Well, I'm not sure you could call it an era, but definitely an end. I haven't yet posted on this topic because I'm still pretty unsure what exactly to write. To sum things up, LionPaws is no more. The partnership between paws4people and The Lionheart School unraveled in the most unsuspecting and disappointing way. There's a lot of things I could say, but in the interest of moving forward, I'm not going to.

Here's what you need to know: first and foremost, our sweet p4p LANGLEY will continue to work at Lionheart as an Educational Service Dog. Secondly, paws4people is in the works of developing another Puppy Development Center, which is only promised to be even bigger and better. Thirdly, I have changed as a person. I experienced the widest range of emotions in the past few weeks, have learned more about myself, both as a person and as an employee, learned more about others and how cruel the world can be, and was comforted by who was still on the wagon when the going gets tough.

In the long run, I am most thankful for this opportunity. I had the chance to meet and work with some of the most amazing people, children, families, and volunteers. I was humbled by the welcome I received in one of the scariest times of my life when I moved 7 hours from the only home I've ever known. I was shocked at how easy it was to connect to a population I had no prior experience working with. I enjoyed watching each litter of puppies grow into their own and go on their way to becoming working Service Dogs. I also enjoyed watching each child find their niche, whether it be socializing the puppies, helping take care of the puppies' responsibilities, or just simply getting a rise out of watching them play. Seeing each student grow to accept the puppies' roles was unbelievable, and unknowingly therapeutic for each of them.

So now you may be wondering what is next for me. I have since moved back to Wilmington, NC and have now been hired on by paws4people as the Breeding and Puppy Development Program Manager. I'm really excited for the future! For the time being, our Puppy Development Center will be run out of our training center in Wilmington. That means those 6 precious faces moved back with me and are continuing on their path of socialization without skipping a beat. AND we just welcomed our newest Service Dogs in Training on Thursday! AZALEA had 5 boys and 1 girl! Typically, since I am busy with the older puppies, I don't get to be present for the whelping, but since I was back in Wilmington, I got to have my hands in on my first whelp that I didn't have to watch via webcam!

AZALEA with the boys nursing and the little girl posing in front!

little chubby puppy butts and wagging tails! 

Here is the official release from paws4people.org regarding the dissolving of LionPaws:

paws4people announces today (September 2nd, 2014) the hiring of Sarah Rosenbaum as the paws4people Breeding and Puppy Development Program Manager.  In this role, Sarah will be responsible for the coordination and oversight of our puppies from birth to approximately 16 weeks, at which time they transition to the paws4prisons training programs. Sarah has been a part of the foundation since beginning in the paws4people/UNCW Assistance Dog Training Program in 2013, and has since worked to develop expertise in our breeding and early puppy programs.
Knowing that the early neurological development and socialization of puppies is a critical aspect of the training of our service dogs, paws4people is currently exploring sites for our Puppy Development programs in addition to the breeding and whelping center at our headquarters in Wilmington, NC. We are seeking partnerships which provide opportunities for our puppies to make a therapeutic impact on multiple populations during their socialization phase of training, share an emphasis on joint fundraising and awareness, offer facilities and training venues which are ideal for Service Dog Puppy Development, and–most importantly–share a mutual benefit for the missions of all organizations involved. We look forward to the future of our Puppy Development programming!
paws4people is also announcing today that we are ending our partnership with the Lionheart School.  paws4people concluded that LionPaws program was not a suitable fit in that it did not and would not achieve the goals listed above.  We want to thank the Lionheart staff for their invaluable efforts with this program. We are excited that paws4people-certified Service Dog, LANGLEY, will continue to provide educational benefits to the students by working with her certified handlers at Lionheart.