In January we started work in a new prison and our new puppies Jane, Olive, Frida and Ada officially became Restart Dogs. The girls have been doing so well under the guidance of our FW Restart Team. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in supporting us at @hmpfosseway

Yes the young people at @HMPWerrington on Restart Dogs get certificates and qualifications in dog training, but they also get sense of self, identity, passion, empathy, emotional regulation and most importantly, an alternative vision of who they could be in the future. So proud🥰

8/8 We are immensely proud of her handler. Maya has gone on to help someone deal better with the difficulties and challenges of life. Although she has left the prison, she and her new person will still be given the support of Restart Dogs. Goodbye Maya, enjoy your new life ❤️

7/8 Saying “Goodbye” today was the most difficult challenge Maya’s person has had during the project. He made her day special with training (she loves it), tons of cuddles, treats, play and a nice walk. she didn’t know she wouldn’t see him again but he knew he wouldn’t see her.

6/8 to be out there; she will be ‘Their’ dog. She will be doing what she has been trained to do - she will be the first of the Dovegate girls to be promoted to ‘Assistance Dog’.

5/8 Maya’s time is now here and she is to leave @HMPDovegate @SercoGroup and Restart Dogs. This means she also has to leave her human of the last 10 months. Maya will go on to help someone live a better life in today’s chaotic world. She will give her new human the confidence

4/8 No scavenging… pretty good for a Labrador! She can do deep pressure techniques and has a super fast recall. Nail clipping and handling skills are a doddle and she can do a ton of other stuff too. She is super smart 🥰.

3/8 Those two words have caused a few tears with our trainers. Maya’s handler has done an amazing job & in such a short time, she can walk on a loose lead on either side, walk behind, walk at the side of a wheelchair, retrieve named objects, sit calmly as people eat around her.

2/8 Early this month Maya’s old goals were cleared from the board as her human went to write October’s goals….This was the last goal, the one all the lads dread. Maya’s person knew what his final objective was and under her name he had written just two words: ‘Say Goodbye’

1/8 We have board in the classroom. On it, the lads write their goals for the month. They are achievable but it’s good to see the difficulty of exercises increase with each turn of the calendar. They might be duration hand touch, LLW to the Astro Turf or ‘Temptation Alley’.

This is new boy Hawkins (after Stephen) he is a Golden Retriever cross Poodle. Hawkings is based at Werrington Young Offenders @HMPWerrington , where he is settling in so well, he takes everything in his stride. The young people there love him, and really enjoy training him.

Thanks so much to everybody who came up with suggestions for Restart Dogs’ new pup. We’d like to formally introduce you to…..Betty! She spent her first day at @HMPDovegate relaxing in her new environment, learning all the new smells and noises & starting to build bonds.

Say hello to our 3 new recruits! Marsha (left), Luther (middle) and Betty (right) are the newest members of the @RestartDogs project, starting their journey to becoming assistance dogs. #sercoandproud

Say hello to our most recent new girl. Joining the Restart Dogs programme soon. We name all of our puppies after activists, does anyone have any names of people they admire who we could name this little beauty after?

https://t.co/TVPv8FJAui

Thrilled that @Fish4Dogs are food sponsors for the Restart Dogs programmes. We take canine nutrition very seriously at Restart Dogs, since nutrient availability and diet composition affect precursors in the brain which influence behaviour. A huge thank you, Fish4Dogs!

Such a great day today!

#prisonprogrammes #restartdogs #staffordshirelive #staffordshire #positivenews #dogsoftwitter

Our new explainer video is LIVE! Watch here for the full version: https://t.co/1hKErh6aNv. Watch the budding assistance dog pups in action, as well as hear how the Restart Dogs programme at @HMPDovegate has impacted the men’s mental health and outlook on life.

HMP Dovegate’s Deputy Director, Andy Johnson recently visited @RestartDogs in one of our prison classrooms. Andy was able to see prisoners on the programme show off their new dog training skills! (Prisoners pictured in this image have been approved to be shown publicly). /1