10 years ago there was no Putnam Service Dogs. There was just a kitchen table and a dream.
Now, in a few months, we’ll celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Putnam Service Dogs.
As proud as I am of where we are today, my mind always goes back to the beginning—because there was a time when none of this existed.
There was no program. No training model. No guarantee that any of this would work.
There was just a dream and a desire to bring it into reality.
Where It Started
In 2016, I had recently retired in my early sixties and found retirement didn’t agree with me. I needed a purpose in my life—a reason for getting up every morning and that it mattered that I did.
A few years earlier, after moving to Brewster from the city in 2011, I had raised two service dog puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind.
One graduated. One didn’t.
But what stayed with me wasn’t the outcome, it was the experience, especially seeing the second pup graduate, matched with her person. I loved the challenge of helping a dog grow into what it was meant to be, knowing the effort could directly help someone who needed it. It was some of the most meaningful work I had ever done.
I spent about two months thinking through what came next. Was I ready? Did I truly want to start a service dog school?
In August of 2016, I hired an attorney and began incorporating what would become Putnam Service Dogs. After we received our 501(c)(3) status, the work officially began.
Building Without a Roadmap
Even with a background in business and Hospital Administration, I quickly realized this was very different. Starting and running a small nonprofit required a completely new way of thinking, new skills, and I needed to learn a LOT about dogs!
So I went back to learning.
I read everything I could get my hands on—more in six months than I had during graduate school. I needed to understand how to build something that would succeed.
There wasn’t a clear roadmap, so I had to build one. I wanted to create a service dog school where our dogs, and their people, including our staff, were happy because of our efforts. I wanted to lift up lives.
The First Three Dogs
We began training dogs in 2017, it started with three dogs.
Getting those dogs to train was a huge challenge. We had no credibility yet and no relationships with rescues, so we had to rely on public adoption events. At the time, it was our only option. Looking back, it’s not the best place to find dogs with service dog potential—but it’s how we got started. We had mere seconds to grab a pup before another person, eager to find their treasured pet dog, grabbed the pup.
Putnam Service Dogs started at my kitchen table.
I did all the administrative work at my kitchen table. For the first few years, my home hosted our group training classes. I moved my furniture into corners before each class, and returned it to its spot after the class had left. We figured things out as we went. We tried hard. Without the required knowledge, our efforts were not successful. Service dog training takes close to two years. While we were training our first class, I believed with training, we could get those first pups to where they needed to go.
The Lesson That Changed Everything
Eventually, it became clear that none of our first three dogs would graduate.
The dog I raised, Amy, was incredibly intelligent, but she matured into a fierce guard dog. Also, Amy could open doors, which made her a flight risk. She clearly wasn’t suited for service work. Another dog was aggressive on leash, and we couldn’t train her out of it. The third dog was easy going and lacked the required work ethic of a service dog.
That was a hard moment, because it forced me to accept something I hadn’t fully understood at the beginning.
You can’t train temperament into a dog. You can only build on what’s already there.
That lesson changed everything. From that point on, how we selected dogs, how we evaluated them, and how we approached training became much more intentional. With each successive class I realized the hard challenge I’ve plunged into. I was searching for unicorn dogs at rescue organizations.
What Our Early Days Made Possible
That early experience is the reason we’re able to do what we do today.
It’s what makes stories like Sarah and Eddie possible.
When Sarah was matched with Eddie, it wasn’t just about training a dog to complete tasks. It was about giving her confidence, stability, and the ability to move through the world in a different way.
As Sarah shared, Eddie gave her a level of confidence and independence she didn’t have before.
That kind of partnership doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of years of learning what works, what doesn’t, and staying committed to doing it the right way—even when it’s hard.
What Ten Years Means
As we approach ten years, I don’t think about this as a finish line. It’s momentous, but it’s only the first chapter of our story.
I think about those early days—three dogs, a lot of trial and error, and the realization that if this was going to work, we had to get a lot better.
What started at my kitchen table has grown into something that now changes lives – both the rescue dog we’ve transformed, and their person.
Over the past ten years, we’ve adopted 43 dogs. We’ve trained and placed 14 service dogs with individuals who rely on them every day—supporting not just one person, but 31 people within those households.
We’ve placed 12 dogs as emotional support animals, helping another 37 people find stability, comfort, and connection.
And even the dogs who weren’t suited for service work—8 of them—were placed into homes where they are safe, loved, and exactly where they belong, delighting 13 people.
And today, we have 9 more dogs in training—Harper, Haiden, Holly, Iceman, Ike, Isaac, Iris, Ivan, and Junie—each one representing the next story we haven’t told yet.
That’s what ten years means to me.
It means that the lessons we learned early on turned into something real through hard work, and trial and error. It means that taking the time to do this the right way creates something people can rely on.
And it means that a dream that started with uncertainty has become something that now changes lives—every single day.
Looking Ahead
The 10-year gala is a chance to reflect on that journey—not just the success, but everything it took to get here.
It’s also a chance to look forward.
There are still many people who need this kind of support. There are still many dogs that can be trained to provide it. And there is still more work to be done.
If you’ve been part of this along the way, I’m grateful.
If you’re just getting to know Putnam Service Dogs, I hope you’ll consider being part of what comes next.
Join us as we celebrate 10 years of Putnam Service Dogs—and help make more stories like Sarah and Eddie possible by giving back today.
Nancy Teague, the founder of Putnam Service Dogs, is a dedicated advocate who embodies the mission of the organization every single day. Alongside the passionate individuals who have joined the cause, she works tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of both people and dogs. With an unwavering commitment to championing service dogs, Nancy understands the transformative power that occurs when a service dog is matched with its recipient, forging a remarkable team.
