Story by Lucia Martínez ~ Of all the times one gets to hear about personal experiences that come with being a felon, few of them have such a hopeful message. Generally we only see the negative sides, and the difficulties that come when dealing with coming back to an incredulous society and finding a new place in a changed world. But CAN someone change their life? Yes. If they want to and with hard, hard work. And that’s exactly what Chris wants now that he has found his vocation through the inmate training program offered by Healing Companions, Inc. oriented on teaching these individuals key competences for training dogs learning the basic skills needed to continue their specialized preparation.

Listen to Chris’ remarks on how he found passion while working with educating our dogs has given him a clearer and more expectant view of the future, in which he is no longer just a released felon, but a man of determination and strong career goals after an extensive time behind bars:

The Healing Companions program believes that involving recovering offenders and educating them can be a successful method of preparing an inmate to step back into his or her community with a replenished sense of self image, as well as pride through the accomplishment of getting through the training program and aspiring for a career in the field.

Our team is glad for Chris’ continued successes and hope things continue to go in a positive direction.

Seems pretty clear for us dog-lovers and proud owners. Dogs love us humans in much the same ways that we do, through affection, attachment bonds and empathy. And unless you took an untamed coyote home, you’ve probably experienced all the colors of sharing a life with a canine confidante along with unquestionable life changing effects. In some cases, even lifesaving.

This next story depicts that last lifesaving part and will give you a closer look to the work we proudly do at Healing Companions Inc. where all our canines are shelter dogs and highly trained to mitigate the effects of each individuals specific symptoms.

Amanda is a Northeast Ohio resident, recovering from PTSD under the watch of always vigilant Lola, one of the many shelter dogs in training as psychiatric service dogs at Healing Companions. Her recuperation story next to a four legged companion began during her college years when she adopted her first dog Nina while suffering from a crippling history of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. The companionship and devoted love along with Nina’s insistence for multiple daily walks provided exercise, interactions with other people and gave Amanda the motivation she needed to cope with her traumas and further pursue her recovery.

Now, Amanda continues making progress thanks to Lola’s customized training. Lola is not only educated to assist Amanda in navigating through her days by helping her maintain all of her activities of her daily routine, but also her set of skills are refined so she can wake Amanda up and distract her in case of a nightmare. Lola is also able to aid Amanda when she is entering a panic attack by nudging, pawing and leaning against her or leading her outside to leave the space she was triggered in.
Don’t miss the rest of her testimony here: Life-saving bond: Woman’s dog gives her courage to heal.

Happy spoiler alert: It’s safe to say she can live a life with less fear in the daily obstacles she faces and struggles with and knowing she has her psychiatric service dog in training with her every step of the way.

*Photography ~ Liz Adams