ABOUT LEND A PAW New Leash On Life is committed to enhancing the lives of disabled individuals by rescuing dogs from the shelters and training them in obedience and therapy service for their disabled partner. The Lend A Paw (LAP) trainers strongly believe in using a team approach when placing a dog with a family. The team includes parents, family members, consultants, and health care providers when needed.
After meeting with the family, our team will
choose a dog based on the child’s and dog’s personality. Creating a
social/therapy dog placement for a family in need differs from
creating placements between service dogs and physically challenged
people. Supervision is essential to creating a placement that is safe
and effective. It is important for the caretakers of the disabled
person(s) to
understand that their role is to ensure that the relationship between
care recipient and dog is consistently mutual, enjoyable, and safe. For
instance, conditions in which those with varying disabilities who tend to lash out physically are not good
candidates for our social/therapy dogs.
Our dogs are selected from local shelters
after being given temperament tests. They are then transported to our
training facility where they receive obedience training and
socialization. After six weeks of training and evaluation, those dogs
that show the correct temperament, unique characteristics and
eagerness to work will be placed into the Lend A Paw Program.
Our goal is to provide dogs that are well socialized companions
and that can
teach responsibility, improve social skills, and relieve stress. And
as with any adoption, we want to send our dogs to permanent and loving
homes.
We have the opportunity to educate the
public, and the public has the opportunity to gain insight into an
amazing relationship and the powerful and extraordinary capabilities
and contributions these dogs have to share.
Currently, New Leash On Life does not adopt
our dogs outside the greater Los Angeles area. We will gladly furnish
referrals for those who do reside outside of Los Angeles.
