Auburn Hills, Mi., June 22, 2009: On July 9, hard to adopt dogs will be graduating from their ten week training program, a joint course where at-risk youth are united with dogs through a program run by Teacher’s Pet and Oakland Pet Adoption Center.

In 2008, Oakland Pet Adoption Center partnered with Crossroads for Youth, a local program that provides troubled children with a supportive, positive environment where they learn how to succeed in life. The partnership pairs young at-risk teens with dogs awaiting adoption at the Center.

The teens work closely with the dogs for six to eight weeks, teaching them basic commands, making them more desirable for adoption. The teens learn responsibility of having a pet as well as bond with an animal and gain a sense of accomplishment. All of the youth from programs like Crossroads for Youth and Oakland County Children’s Village are a part of a bigger course entitled the Teacher’s Pet: Dogs and Kids Learning Together program.

Amy Johnson, the director of Teacher’s Pet says, “I think what they gain is patience, fostered empathy, sense of accountability and responsibility as well as experiencing unconditional love and having the ability to give back to the community in enhancing the life of a behaviorally-challenged dog and the family that adopts him.” The Teacher’s Pet program started January 2006 at Kingsley Montgomery School and was the result of great research and planning on Johnson’s behalf. 

The training will culminate on July 9 with a graduation ceremony held at 5 pm at the Oakland Pet Adoption Center. The youth trainers for this session of pets are from the Children’s Village of Oakland County. After the graduation ceremony, the dogs in the training program will be available for adoption. Anyone interested in attending the ceremony can contact Oakland Pet Adoption Center by calling (248) 391-4100 or visiting our website at www.oakgov.com/petadoption.