NEADS appreciates our volunteers, not just during National Volunteer Week, but all year long. We couldn't do what we without you! THANK YOU to our incredible Puppy Raisers. You dedicate countless hours to socialize, work with, and love our future Service Dogs. ______________ THANK YOU to our Canine Center volunteers. You take such good care of our dogs, and we so appreciate you! _____ THANK YOU to our incredible prison liaisons. You ensure the success of our Prison PUP program, and we’re grateful for your support! _____ THANK YOU to our dedicated Breeding Center volunteers who ensure ..read more

Suzanne Sausville, WBZ NewsRadio BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Service dogs from NEADS World Class Service Dogs took a duck boat tour around Boston on Sunday as part of their public transportation training. NEADS is a non-profit established in 1976 to train service dogs for people with a variety of physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. “They’re highly trained service dogs who can perform up to 50 or 60 different tasks and commands,” said Cathy Zemaitis, who is the chief development and programs officer at NEADS. … or listen below. The post NEADS Service Dogs Hop On A Boston Duck Tour For T ..read more

Rob Pelaez, Boston Herald. NEADS World Class Service Dogs celebrated Boston Duck Tours’ philanthropic initiative, ‘Quack-Quack, Give Back!” on Sunday with ambassadors and partners taking a private tour ride through the city. The two organizations celebrated their 12-year partnership a week after Duck Tours’ 2024 season kicked off with the tour ride for service dogs and their handlers. For pooches too young for the tour, there was and a training course that included basic obedience, good manners and socialization, NEADS officials said. Read the full story here. The post Service dogs take Duck T ..read more

NEADS volunteer Puppy Raisers play a vital role in raising future Service Dogs by providing loving homes and crucial socialization for our dogs in training. While the joy of caring for a cuddly, playful puppy is undeniable, the challenges of puppy raising are all too real. To ease some of these challenges, NEADS offers a variety of resources and support throughout the puppy raising journey. After all, it truly takes a village to raise a Service Dog in Training, and we want to be sure our volunteers have everything they need to succeed. The NEADS Team The cornerstone of this support system is o ..read more

From GBH News: This service dog changed a woman’s life after losing her hearing. After Kate Weaver lost much of her hearing, she turned to a service dog to bridge the gap between the hearing world and the deaf world. Service Dogs for Hearing can identify everyday sounds and alert their handler. Getting matched with hearing dog Kona changed her life. Applications for Service Dogs for Hearing at NEADS are open now. Editor’s note: It costs NEADS about $45,000 to breed, raise and train a service dog. Clients matched with dogs are asked to fundraise $8,000 as a donation to NEADS. The post Meet Kon ..read more

Hi, I’m Gina! By the time I was 18, I had profound deafness in my left ear. My hearing loss continued to increase over the course of my life, and it impacted my “good ear” too. The post Gina Colorio appeared first on NEADS World Class Service Dogs ..read more

Ok, so we’re not match.com, but we hear it from our Service Dog clients every week: “I see love.” “Those eyes! My melting heart!” “My life is now complete.” “I got the right match.” It may seem an easy task – pick a dog, assign it to a client, and a Service Dog team is formed. But the NEADS matching process is so much more.  We approach the matching process from both sides – client and Service Dog. On the client side, we believe the more we can understand about a prospective client’s lifestyle and expectations, the better we can pair them with a Service Dog that meets their needs. To sta ..read more

There are many creative ways to fundraise during Valentine’s Day! Here are a few suggestions. Funny sweater contest – Yes, it’s a real thing! There are some hilarious Valentine’s Day sweaters, hoodies, and T-shirts, out there. This fundraiser can be done at work or at home. All you need to do is have people donate a small amount to enter your contest (can be done through your NEADS fundraising page) and get a fun prize for the person who finds the most ridiculous sweater. Candy/Flower grams– Valentine’s Day is fast approaching so this is a great fundraiser to attempt now! Buy lots of small can ..read more

NEADS is committed to helping each client reach their fundraising goal. We employ many methods to make this happen, one of which is offering matching funds days solely to clients. How to take full advantage… Spread the word! All clients should post the match day flyer (provided by NEADS prior to each match day) to their fundraising pages. In addition, share your NEADS fundraising page to social media adding details to the post with the match date and time. Another option is to share the match day flyer itself to social media and paste in the link to your NEADS fundraising page. Clients who hav ..read more

by NEADS Apprentice Trainer Leah Bell Why having different personalities and temperaments in our dogs is important. NEADS dogs can follow several different career paths. Service Dogs are matched with people with physical disabilities, hearing loss, veterans with PTSD, and children with autism or other developmental disabilities. These dogs have public access rights according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Assistance Dogs work with classroom, ministry, courthouse, counseling, and hospital professionals. These dogs do not have public access under the ADA. Whether the dog follows t ..read more