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Laura founded the all-volunteer, non-profit 501(C)(3) Hero Pups in 2016 with the mission of using 100 percent of funds to acquire, train and pair support dogs with veterans and first responders. Their focus is on those with post traumatic stress, depression and other service- connected challenges. There are no fees to obtain a support dog though applicants must meet specific criteria as outlined on their website.

The trajectory of Exeter resident Laura Barker’s professional life changed in 2011 while she was caring for her son during his stay at a military hospital following an injury he received during a tour of duty with the Marines in Afghanistan. As he was recovering, she saw how a seriously injured warrior positively responded to a therapy dog that was brought in to interact with the patients. Witnessing the dog helping this man’s emotional state in such a positive way led Laura to her big, life changing Aha moment. “I’m the quintessential dog person. I’d been rescuing and training dogs forever. And I had a real job like everyone else. And then I found my true calling…finding and training dogs to help others.”

Hero Pups also trains comfort dogs for local police departments and placed the very first comfort dog in the state in 2017. Training the comfort dogs and police officers is entirely different than training support dogs. This is not a traditional K-9 program as there is no patrol, search & rescue, etc. involved. Rather these dogs assist their officer handlers within the community dealing with trauma and mental issues. Thanks to Hero Pups, over 173 service dogs have been placed to date, and there are now comfort dogs in Concord, Claremont, Manchester, Hudson, Franklin, Salem and UNH as well as several in other states. There are four police comfort dogs in training now, including one for the Exeter Police Department.

Most of their dogs are puppies from a network of rescue shelters Laura works with. Periodically breeders will donate puppies, but this is less than 10% of the total pups they get. This past spring Hero Pups received a Mama dog with 10 puppies and then another Mom arrived with six…so they had 16 puppies at once! Laura and her team care for the puppies at their headquarters until they are old enough to begin basic training, which is mostly done by volunteers called “puppy raisers!” Prior to basic training, all the puppies are profiled to make sure they are cut out for service work. “We want puppies that want to work,” Laura explained. When I asked how they profile them, Laura laughed and said, “That would take a whole other conversation another day as it’s quite involved.” People contact Laura to become volunteer puppy raisers. “It takes a special person to do this. Take and raise a puppy and then give it back. First-time volunteers have the hardest time with this. The pups go to their temporary families around 12-16 weeks old to learn basic obedience and return to Hero Pups after about 6 months.”

Hero Pups also has an incredible Inmate Training Program that they started in conjunction with the Merrimack County Department of Corrections. Laura had researched similar programs in the past when they were short on puppy raisers, though never proceeded with implementing one until Ross Cunningham, who was the Merrimack Country Department of Correction Superintendent at the time, reached out inquiring about the possibility of inmates training puppies. “We had a meeting with about six people, and I went in with files of information. I thought I was going to have to pitch them on this idea. and they thought

they were going to have to pitch me! We all then just agreed. We don’t have to sell each other. Let’s just figure out how to do this! We had puppies there within a month, and they’ve trained approximately 20 puppies,” Laura said.

The inmate program, which was put on hold during COVID and will resume soon, not only helps Hero Pups but also provides a wonderful sense of purpose to the participants. Generally, there are four puppies at the jail at one time. Each puppy has two inmate handlers, a staff member and a canine coordinator. The pups live in the cells with their volunteer inmate handlers, and Laura trains them to work with the puppies. She checks in weekly and teaches the handlers new skills each visit.

The impact of this program is remarkable. As Laura explained, “Jails aren’t happy places. These puppies bring some joy and happiness. They make the environment much more positive and help people move forward with their lives. These individuals don’t get paid or receive any special treatment. They simply volunteer. They want to have a purpose. And dogs don’t judge. Treat them fairly and kindly, and the dogs will just love them.” Several inmates have continued with Hero Pups upon their release or have gotten involved in some aspect in the canine field. “Once an inmate was told he was being released and he asked, ‘Can I just wait until I finish training this puppy before I go?’ Having that purpose is so important, as they lost their purpose along the way.”

Once the puppies are done with basic training, they spend about six months training with their new owner. When veterans and/or first responders apply for a dog, Hero Pups looks at their lifestyle so they can pair the right dog with the right “Hero.” The dogs are trained specifically for the person they are matched with, i.e., task training, anxiety, depression and so forth. Training is held at Hero Pups’ headquarters in a large, but not fancy (like no bathrooms or running water) building.

With the help of a very generous donor, Hero Pups will soon be announcing a major fundraising effort for a new facility with access to 46 acres with miles of walking trails. “This will be a game changer for us,” Laura said with joy. “In addition to a more functional training facility, it will enable us to also have other dog-related professionals work with us such as trainers and groomers. We’re always looking for other professionals to volunteer to help us out.”

Kudos to Laura Barker, her team and the many generous donors and sponsors for all the wonderful things they are doing for veterans, first responders, community members and rescue dogs. This program benefits so many…on so many levels. Hero Pups is 100% volunteer-run with no paid staff. They currently have about 150 people on a wait list, so the opportunity for growth is huge. As Laura says, “This is the least we can do to support our veterans and provide them a companion to help them lead a happier life…free of charge.”

If you’re interested in getting involved, please visit their website to learn more. (HeroPups.com) Inmate Pups & Peeps