PAWS UP! FOR NEW COMMUNITY SERVICE IN NEW MEXICO

West Caldwell, NJ June 24 -

Paws Up! for the new community service offered at the New Mexico Men’s Recovery Academy (NMMRA) in Los Lunas, with the launch of a new pilot program in conjunction with New Mexico Pets Alive! (NMPA), a non-profit organization whose mission it is to help people and pets in New Mexico.

Upon the recommendation of Renee Waskiewicz, the Director of the New Mexico Corrections Department (NMCD) Prisoners and Animals Working for Success – (PAWS), program in Las Cruces, NM, Melissa Roberts, Executive Director of NMPA, reached out to NMMRA Director Angela Dannenbring to seek a potential partnership for a related pilot program. Ms. Dannenbring organized a community service that would send several residents to begin volunteering learning to care for and train rescued dogs at NMPA’s Training Academy in Albuquerque. All were surprised at the extremely positive response on the part of the residents and the facilitators of the program.

“The feedback has been phenomenal,” said Ms. Roberts. “To see the residents fully embrace the opportunity and experience as they learn to establish a caring relationship for training the dogs has been very rewarding. The residents seem to identify and sympathize with another who has been confined. They enjoy being part of a team and are giving 300% to this work. The dogs are learning and so are the residents.”

Four residents volunteer at the NMPA facility four days a week and work with Sara Thompson, a canine expert and NMPA national training partner, who teaches dog training and guides the residents through the process. Ms. Thompson is on site ten days a month, and assigns homework and tasks for the residents to work on during their volunteer time at the facility. They communicate by Skype and text when she is not on site so she can monitor their progress with the dogs and the residents.

“The training program with the dogs has given the residents a sense of purpose and goals to accomplish, which supports our mission of changing lives and reducing recidivism,” said Director Dannenbring. “The residents are thrilled to go to NMPA to help. All have expressed a willingness to go and satisfaction with working with the dogs.”

The New Mexico Men’s Recovery Academy accommodates 174 males referred from the New Mexico Corrections Department, Probation and Parole Division. The facility focuses on substance abuse treatment and functions as a Therapeutic Community (TC) by providing a highly structured environment, which employs community, imposed sanctions and penalties, as well as earned advancement of status and privileges as part of the recovery and growth process. Community service has been a large component of the program providing an opportunity for residents to give back to the local area.

As a result of the success of the NMPA program, it is hoped to open this work to the Women’s facility, the New Mexico Women’s Recovery Academy in Albuquerque as well. Both residents and dogs have the chance at a better life through this joint effort of rewarding community service and the support of the facility programming.

New Mexico Pets Alive’s! works to reduce the number of dogs entering municipal and private animal intake facilities while simultaneously working to get those dogs that have entered out alive and into happy homes. Utilizing the most successful and leading edge medical, training and behavioral health animal care models, they provide support services for pet guardians, rescue, foster care, adoption prep, training and additional related opportunities. The organization accepts monetary and gift donations.

Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC) is the leading provider of offender reentry, in-prison treatment and jail management services in America, operating in 16 states and the Commonwealth of Bermuda. CEC provides a full range of therapeutic residential and non-residential reentry services with a documented record of reducing recidivism.