If dogs could run for office, Morrissey would likely get your vote.
“They pretty much call him the mayor, that is because he is just so friendly, so cute and funny,” says NEADS World Class Service Dogs trainer, Becca Hill.
Hill says These qualities make him extra loveable.
“He just has that nice bubbly silly personality that just draws you in,” says Hill.
FOX61 first met this little guy as a puppy in 2019.
He was picked from his litter to train as a service dog with the NEADS, a Massachusetts nonprofit. 16 months later and he is well on his way.
“He has definitely matured a lot from a silly, goofy puppy, to more of a composed adult,” says Hill.
Morrissey’s been traing with inmates at a Rhode Island prison and Wednesday he was back on the NEADs campus for a progress report.
“He is doing absolutely wonderful, his tasks look wonderful, he’s going to get out in the world a little bit more, he is going to get out in the world a little bit more, So we are going to be taking him to Boston, we’re going to be taking around to a little bit harder places now,” says Hill.
The goal is that he’ll eventually get paired with someone who has a physical disability, is deaf or a child with autism.
Right now the nonprofit has more than 20 matches across Connecticut.
“The impact that our service dogs have not only on the individual that’s working exclusively with them, But also the family they’ll go into is really profound and life changing,” says NEADS teammate, Cathy Zemaitis.
Only about half of Morrissey’s classmates will successfully become service dogs; Hill is optimistic.
“As long as they are happy and living happy healthy lives, and helping people, that’s the goal,” says Hill.
Morrissey has about 8 months to go in his training program and has already mastered many of his basic commands.
After hosting a community event at the Traveler’s Championship last year, Our Keith McGilvery was given $5000 from FedEx to share with a charity.
He learned about NEADS (NEADS.org) through friends who have a dog from the nonprofit.
Keith got to sponsor Morrissey and picked his name in honor of his dad and their high school, Boston College High School on Morrissey Boulevard in Boston.
