L.I.F.E Tech Transitional Center

Humane Society of Elmore County

TLC Dogs and Trainers

All the dogs in the TLC Program are spayed or neutered, and current on all immunizations including rabies vaccination.  All of these dogs are good with other dogs, children and all people.  At the completion of their training they will be leash trained, housetrained, crate trained and will have basic obedience skills such as sit, stay, down and come.  Their new families will have to continue their training to maintain what they have already learned and to help them learn even more.  Those interested in adopting one of these dogs must have a fenced yard, be willing for us to do a home check, provide us with a veterinarian reference and be willing to bring the entire family and any other dogs they have so we can all meet to see if will be a good match.  For more information contact the shelter via email at hselco@bellsouth.net or call us at 334/567-3377.

A special thanks to Lucia Penland, Board Secretary and Ellen Fallon, Animal Care Manager, for being the force behind this program and to David Still, Director of LIFE Tech for partnering with us to make this such a success. 

While all of our dogs and cats are each special in their own way, we have one group of dogs who are getting a bit more from a very dedicated group of women. This group of six dogs is is in our Tech Life Canine (TLC) program. What is this? Across the road from our shelter is the LIFE Tech Transition Center which is part of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. The LIFE Tech Program offers positive, life-changing opportunities for female probationers/parolees in life skills, substance abuse recovery, adult education/GED instruction, occupational assessment and training in a residential environment. We began our TLC program with LIFE Tech in 2005 and due to its success have recently begun another training group. So how does this work? After an application and screening process eight of the women at LIFE Tech were selected as trainers. Then eight of our deserving dogs were selected and matched to their trainer. With the generous help of Janice Plessner who has been an expert local dog trainer for many years, the women begin the process of learning how to train their dogs. Each dog is taught how to walk on a leash, learns house-training and crate-training, and learns basic obedience skills such as sit, stay, down and come. Some of the dogs even learn tricks. Through this program everyone wins – dogs that might be perceived as less adoptable due to lack of manners become more adoptable and the women learn of the dedication and responsibility if takes to help a dog become a great canine citizen. The last step in this program is matching the right adopters to each dog and this is an ongoing process while the dogs are in training. Potential adopters can contact the shelter about a dog they are interested in and we will arrange for all to meet to see it is a good match for everyone. Dogs can be adopted during the program but will not be handed off to their new family until the dog has completed its training. Everyone involved will then be invited to a formal graduation ceremony at LIFE Tech to recognize the efforts of the trainers, all involved who make this a success and the new family’s who will be giving loving and lifetime homes to these great dogs. For those interested in the dogs currently in training, please go to our website at www.elmorehumane.com or call us at 334/567-3377 for more information on the dogs in this great program!

L.I.F.E Tech: Second Chances

 Across the street from the shelter is a re-entry program for women who are given a second chance after they come out of prison. In turn these women are giving a second chance to others. The others are puppies, dog and kittens from the shelter.

 In the spring four dogs were placed at L.I.F.E. Tech for training. They were dogs that had been at the shelter for a while, were adults and had peaked no interest from potential adopters. Under the direction of two trainers, Janice Plessner and Sandra Tindol, the women trained the dogs in basic obedience, kennel trained and housebroke them. By graduation day all were adopted!

 Recently Murphy's owner sent a picture of a large beautiful Murphy - who had grown a lot since moving to Atlanta. Richard is thrilled with Murphy's training and says that the Tech Life Canine program really works and is wonderful.  He earlier bragged that Murphy was the only dog in the neighborhood that didn't drag his owner down the street when out for a walk.

 In addition to the training program, puppies and kittens have been placed at L.I.F.E. Tech for fostering. Babies that are too young for adoption or who are too shy to be appealing to a new family have been coddled, carried around and loved on until everyone who saw them wanted them. Some even got some leash training and a little obedience work.

 This program has been wonderful for all concerned. The women are thrilled to get a dog or kitten and the animals get wonderful socialization and loving care. There could not be a better combination!

 The training program, which will start up again with cooler weather, will match some of the dogs that we know have personalities to make fabulous companions, even though their outer appearance may not be as compelling. Watch for the opportunity to get your next trained, personality filled dog that will make your life richer and fuller.

Click here for past Cell Dog Graduates!!