PHILADELPHIA – New help is on the way for area veterans trying to put their lives back together again. It involves a little tender loving care from a furry friend.
It’s a new program called “Saving and Reclaiming Lives.”
“New Leash on Life USA” is a prison-dog training program, dedicated to improving the lives of inmates and saving the lives of dogs deemed unadoptable. The organization provides inmates with workshops to build life skills, cognitive tools, and job readiness to help transition into life after prison.
Those dogs will then be donated to veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder.
One of the organizers is an Afghanistan War veteran who understands why this program is so important.
“I know what it’s like to be kind of thrown from combat to having these specific skills, and all of a sudden being bed ridden and a vegetable. You feel so useless and recycled,” said Alfred J. Brenner IV, the service dog program coordinator. “So, it’s really important for me to know what these guys need.”
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell attended Monday’s kickoff ceremony. He also received an award for his commitment to the “New Leash on Life” organization.