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'Kiss The Puppies' Generates Support For Psychiatric Service Dog Program

Published: May 10, 2016 12:00 AM

Numerous families attended "Kiss The Puppies," a May 1 event intended to generate support for the nonprofit psychiatric service dog training program known as The Exceptional Partner.

Held at The Exceptional Pet, a dog training facility on Simm Lane, the event gave the public an opportunity to meet the friendly Labrador retriever puppies that will be trained during the coming year to work as psychiatric service dogs for people needing emotional assistance.

The Exceptional Partner program will provide trained dogs free of charge. As a nonprofit organization, it relies on donations to operate.

Activities offered at the event included an agility course for kids, crafts, games, and face painting, as well as prizes, plus photos taken with one of the five Labrador puppies being trained by volunteers to become psychiatric service dogs.

When fully trained, the service dogs may assist their future handlers who have psychiatric disabilities such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or schizophrenia.

Kristen Alesevich, a volunteer for The Exceptional Partner, a nonprofit service dog program, is seen with a 12-week-old yellow Labrador retriever puppy named Bella at the Kiss The Puppies program, which was held on May 1 at The Exceptional Pet, a dog training firm at 3 Simm Lane. Bella is being raised to serve as a psychiatric service dog. (Bee Photo, Gorosko)

Pia Ledina, a media specialist at Reed Intermediate School, holds Harry, a black Labrador retriever puppy, that she is raising to become a psychiatric service dog. (Bee Photo, Gorosko)

Abby Hill, the owner/operator of The Exceptional Pet, at the Kiss The Puppies event held there on May 1. The event was held to generate support for The Exceptional Partner, a nonprofit program that provides psychiatric service dogs. (Bee Photo, Gorosko)

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'Kiss The Puppies' Generates Support For Psychiatric Service Dog Program

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