Latest news with #CanineCompanions'
Global News
07-08-2025
- Global News
Ghislaine Maxwell banned from training service puppies over sex abuse crimes
Ghislaine Maxwell won't be getting any puppy love at her new prison camp. Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in late financier Jeffrey Epstein's underage sex abuse ring, was transferred to a lower-security Texas prison camp last week, but she won't be enjoying all of the perks available to the inmates at the cushy location. Federal Prison Camp Bryan offers several amenities and rehabilitation programs for inmates, including service dog training courses. However, Canine Companions, which runs the prison program, told NBC News that Maxwell will be unable to participate in the training sessions due to her 2021 conviction of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. 'We do not allow anyone whose crime involves abuse towards minors or animals — including any crime of a sexual nature,' Paige Mazzoni, CEO of Canine Companions, told the outlet. Story continues below advertisement Mazzoni said that it's a 'hard policy' Canine Companions has in place, and that Maxwell 'will not be able to' take part in the program. She added that the restrictions are in place to protect the animals. 'Those are crimes against the vulnerable, and you're putting them with a puppy who is vulnerable,' she said. Canine Companions' Prison Puppy Raising program allows selected inmates to train service puppies as part of their rehabilitation. The inmates are responsible for the same socialization and training as any volunteer puppy raiser. According to the training program's website, the puppies accompany the handlers throughout the day at mealtimes, during work assignments, recreational periods and more. Specific times have been allocated to incorporate feeding, training and exercising the puppies. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In the evening, the puppies are crated in the cells of the puppy trainers. Non-incarcerated volunteers also take the puppies outside of the prison environment to acclimate them to different public settings. Story continues below advertisement Maxwell was moved from a federal prison in Florida to the Texas prison camp last week as her criminal case is generating renewed public attention. The Federal Bureau of Prisons said on Aug. 1 that Maxwell had been transferred to Bryan, Texas, but did not explain the circumstances. Her lawyer, David Oscar Markus, also confirmed the move but declined to discuss the reasons for it with The Associated Press. Maxwell had been held at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Fla., until her transfer to the prison camp, where other inmates include Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah. Minimum-security federal prison camps house inmates the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. Some don't even have fences. The prison camps were originally designed with low security to make operations easier and to allow inmates tasked with performing work at the prison, like landscaping and maintenance, to avoid repeatedly checking in and out of a main prison facility. Prosecutors have said Epstein's sex crimes could not have been done without Maxwell, but her lawyers argue that she was wrongfully prosecuted and denied a fair trial. They have also floated the idea of a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up her case. Story continues below advertisement 'We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's crimes, especially when the government promised she would not be prosecuted,' Maxwell's lawyer said in a statement. Here's our statement about Ghislaine's Reply Brief that we filed in the Supreme Court today: 'No one is above the law—not even the Southern District of New York. Our government made a deal, and it must honor it. The United States cannot promise immunity with one hand in Florida… — David Oscar Markus (@domarkus) July 28, 2025 On Friday, Trump denied that anyone had asked him about clemency for Maxwell. 'I'm allowed to do it but nobody's asked me to do it,' he told Newsmax in an interview. 'I know nothing about it. I don't know anything about the case, but I know I have the right to do it. I have the right to give pardons, I've given pardons to people before, but nobody's even asked me to do it.' Story continues below advertisement — With files from The Associated Press
Newsweek
01-06-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Service Dogs Say Last Goodbye to People Who Raised Them Before Graduation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A video of the moment newly graduated service dogs were reunited with the people who helped raise them has melted hearts online. On May 9, 2025, Canine Companions, the nation's largest service dog organization, celebrated its 50th anniversary with National Graduation Day across all seven regional centers in the United States. Leading service dog trainers and providers, Canine Companions have been training and providing dogs to people in need since 1975. Each Canine Companions service dog, which costs over $50,000 to raise and train, is provided at no charge to those in need, thanks to donors. For Canine Companions, service dog training begins with volunteers who welcome puppies into their homes when they are just eight weeks old. Puppy raisers devote more than a year to teaching basic commands, socializing the dogs, and providing a loving foundation before the animals transition into professional training. "At the end of a year and a half, we ask the puppy raisers to do something difficult... They say goodbye to these dogs that they've raised and loved," John Bentzinger, Manager of Public Relations & Marketing for Canine Companions' Northeast Region told Newsweek. "These future service dogs enter our professional training program and work with our instructors for 6 to 9 months learning over 40 advanced commands that are useful to a person with disabilities." Pictures of some of the service dogs being reunited with the people that raised them. Pictures of some of the service dogs being reunited with the people that raised them. @canineorg/TikTok The training process culminates in "Team Training," a two-week immersive experience where individuals with disabilities are matched with their service dogs. During this period, participants stay in fully accessible dormitories and learn how to work with their highly trained canine partners. Graduation day is a deeply emotional event, as the volunteer puppy raisers reunite with the dogs they helped raise and witness their transition to life as service animals. "During the graduation ceremony, the volunteer puppy raiser presents the dog's leash to our new client," Bentzinger said. "Usually not a dry eye in the house." Service dogs are defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and are dogs intentionally trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples include seeing eye dogs, dogs that alert to health issues and assist people with disabilities in things like retrieving dropped items, opening doors and pulling a wheelchair. In a video shared on the Canine Companion's official Instagram page, 1.9 million people viewed the moment the new graduates were reunited with the volunteers who took them in as puppies—and it was clear they recognized them. A series of clips revealed excited dogs launching themselves into the arms of the people who helped raise them. "I'm not crying. You're crying," said the video caption, posted in May. "We shared it on Instagram because it's graduation season, and it's such a heartwarming moment that happens behind the scenes," Bentzinger said. Comments on the video poured in, with responses from people who had cared for service puppies, received a service dog and those who were just delighted by the moment. "I will never be able to thank enough the person that raised my service dog. The raiser helped to change my life. Thank all of you," said one commenter who has her own service dog. While a fellow puppy raiser wrote: "I'm crying! But in a good way. Puppy raising is one of the best things we did!" "The reaction is so touching and emotional in a positive way, and we hope that more people become aware of Canine Companions and understand the importance of raising and providing service dogs to people with disabilities," Bentzinger said.
