New Leash on Life/Piedmont Animal Welfare Alliance

Club Contact: Louise Mowbray

Changing Men’s Lives, One Dog at a Time

Winston Salem Dog Training Club (WSDTC) has partnering with the New Leash on Life/Piedmont Animal Welfare Alliance (PAWA) and the Forsyth Correctional Center in the New Leash on Life dog training program in Winston Salem.  This state prison program pairs qualifying inmates who have been carefully vetted with dogs in need of training.

The dogs come from area rescue groups and are evaluated by our club trainers. During each 10-week session, inmates learn positive-reinforcement training methods. The dogs, who live in a special “doggie dorm” at the prison, work with the trainers during the day, and receive necessary socialization, crate training, basic obedience skills, and rudimentary agility.

Upon graduating from the program, the dogs are ready to be well-mannered members of an adoptive family. A New Leash on Life offers gives an opportunity to both inmates and dogs to experience unconditional love, often for the first time in their lives.

To learn more about this program, go to the PAWA and see frequent updates on the Facebook page, New Leash on Life at Forsyth Correctional with PAWA.

Therapy Dog International (TDI®)

Club Contact: Sherrie Johns

Winston Salem Dog Training Club (WSDTC) the home of Therapy Dogs International (TDI) Chapter #276 and a group of compassionate, volunteer handlers and their dogs. Those dogs who have earned their TDI® Certification provide comfort and companionship to patients in local hospitals, nursing homes, hospice and the Ronald McDonald house.

While a dog may be either purebred or a mixed breed, not all dogs are qualified or have the temperament to be a Therapy Dog. WSDTC offers training classes to prepare canine prospects for the Therapy Dog Test conducted by our Certified TDI Evaluators.

If you and your dog have the dedication and desire to make a difference in the quality of life for patients in care facilities, learn more about Therapy Dogs International and consider enrolling in the classes necessary to earn your TDI certification. After 50 documented TDI therapy visits, your dog is eligible for recognition by the American Kennel Club and may receive AKC's Therapy Dog title.

WSDTC Classes: Therapy Dog Training classes require Canine Good Citizen certification. Therapy dog training is regularly offered at WSDTC for handlers interested in working in the community.  

WSDTC TDI Test:  After theTDI session, WSDTC TDI Evaluators conduct a TDI Certification Test.

TDI Certification Test

TDI Testing Brochure

What to Bring: Your dog; six-foot fabric or leather leash; and a flat fabric or leather buckle or clasp collar or a non-restrictive harness.

What is not allowed: Flexible leads; prong collars, head halters, electric collars or restrictive training harnesses; and food or treats cannot be on your body or given to the dog during the test

Any dog on the property that demonstrates aggression to another person or dog will not be tested.