Puppy Furlough

Assistance Dogs of America, Inc. currently operates two prison puppy programs, one at the Toledo Correctional Institute and the other at Cleveland’s Northeast Ohio Pre-Release Center. The prison puppy programs enable ADAI to produce more assistance dogs for clients on our waiting list. Carefully screened inmates are taught to raise and train dogs for ADAI. The inmate trainers work diligently with their puppies, but they cannot complete the socialization process necessary in training our dogs. 
 
This is why a furlough home is so important for the prison puppies.   For one week out of each month the puppies live with their furlough families, who offer exposure to situations that are not available in the prison setting. The puppies encounter children, other adults, house routines and home sounds such as vacuum cleaners, dishwashers, telephones doorbells and etc. The puppies may go to the vet, a baseball game, the grocery store, a school, a restaurant, a walk around the neighborhood, a run around a farm or to many other fun places. The puppies learn how to behave in a home environment and how to act around children, cats and other pets. ADAI provides all supplies necessary to keep the puppy for a week and the furlough volunteer makes a commitment to have the puppy each month the puppy is housed in the prison. This is usually for six to eight months.
 

 

Responsibilities:

  • Pick up and drop off thepuppy at the Toledo Correctional Institute or ADAI’s Education and Training Facility.
  • Take the puppy on public outings in order to complete the puppy socialization process.
  • Have a home that is a clean and healthy living environment for the puppy.
  • Give the puppy daily, supervised exercise.
  • Provide an ample supply of appropriate dog toys and bones to keep the puppy busy and happy. 
  • Groom the puppy on a daily basis.
  • Learn basic dog training as provided by the ADAI training team.
  • Take the puppy to the ADAI vet occasionally. (Out of town Furlough Volunteers will provide their own vet care.)
  • Regularly record notes in the furlough notebook.

 

ADAI covers all costs of veterinary care and general dog care supplies.  Iams, an ADAI sponsor, provides all of our dog food, so dog food will be supplied to you.  ADAI will provide the following items to the Furlough Volunteer:

  • Crate
  • Food
  • Treats
  • Clicker
  • Collar
  • Leash
  • Bowls
  • Toy
  • Vest

 

Becoming a Furlough Volunteer

To apply to become an ADAI furlough click here for the Furlough Application. If you have any questions, please call the Volunteer Coordinator at (419) 825-3622. Once the completed application is submitted, an ADAI staff member will contact you to set up an in-home interview for local furlough volunteers and a phone interview for out-of-town furlough volunteers. During the interview the staff will review the responsibilities of a furlough volunteer and answer any questions you may have. Once you are approved as a furlough volunteer, you are placed on a waiting list until we have the right puppy for your home. The wait can range from a week to a couple of months. We don’t always know when we will receive a donated puppy.