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May 28, 2023

Vermont Paws & Boots to stretch legs at new, larger facility

BENNINGTON — After more than two years training service dog teams in the small

BENNINGTON — After more than two years training service dog teams in the small storefront that used to be Anne Marie's Pizza Shop, Michelle LeBlanc is finally about to have the room she needs to teach her two-legged and four-legged students.

LeBlanc, founder and head K9 trainer for Vermont Paws & Boots, is moving her operation, currently at 114 Gage St., a couple of miles down the road to the old Camelot Village building in Old Bennington.

LeBlanc plans to be moved in and working out of the Camelot Village location by July 1. The purchase will not only be a massive upgrade in terms of space, expanding from about 1,000 square feet to well over 7,000 square feet, but it's also part of her vision to be able to help as many people — and dogs — as possible.

LeBlanc has taken clients from all over Vermont, and even one from New Hampshire, and the hope is that the room for everyone to stretch their legs will allow her to serve more people in need out of state, as well.

"I want to be that destination, where no matter where you retired from or got out of the military from, you pop on a plane and fly here," she said. "This is the best location ever. Because we’re right down (NY) Route 7, it's one straight shot from Albany Airport, 45 minutes and you’re at my facility."

LeBlanc pairs rescue dogs with veterans and first responders, primarily focusing on those dealing with post-traumatic stress, as well as military sexual trauma or traumatic brain injuries, and other service-connected injuries. LeBlanc has trained 25 teams since she started in 2015, and is currently working with her eighth and ninth classes. The former is nearing graduation, while the latter just began a few weeks ago.

LeBlanc also gives private obedience lessons through her other service, Awesome Paws. She says all of the proceeds from that business go straight to the non-profit Vermont Paws & Boots, while she lives off her retirement from the Vermont State Police. LeBlanc foots the bill for everything on the Vermont Paws & Boots side: the dogs, their equipment, their training.

The only thing LeBlanc doesn't pay for is hotels for clients traveling from far out of town, like one who makes the trip from St. Albans every weekend. LeBlanc's goal is to solve this problem by using two of the smaller buildings at the new campus as lodging areas.

LeBlanc served five years in the U.S. Army as a military police officer working closely with military dogs, following that with 11 of her 20 years in the Vermont State Police as an award-winning K9 handler. Her decades of service have not only prepared her for training the animals, but also given her an understanding and credibility with the client-base she draws.

"I understand what they’re going through from the military and law enforcement side of the house, because I’ve lived it. You can't get people to trust you unless you have some understanding of what they’ve been through," LeBlanc said. "I have an understanding of what it's like to wear that uniform, where other people don't."

LeBlanc also doesn't mince words when it comes to her quality-over-quantity approach to training service animals. The largest class of human-dog teams she’ll allow is six, and graduation from the course has taken up to 15 months, which is in stark contrast to some service animal schools that will have teams in and out in as little as three weeks, she said.

"There are very big programs that make millions of dollars a day that send people through in 21 days," she said. "You can't learn this in 21 days. But it's all about money to some people."

LeBlanc is on the opposite end of that spectrum, providing everything for free. However, graduation from her school is based on readiness and merit – not time – which can be frustrating for some clients, she says.

"I tell them, ‘Until you trust that dog, I’m not letting you go,’" she explained. "It's not fair. I would be doing them an injustice. PTSD doesn't leave us, military sexual trauma is never going to leave them, amputations are clearly never going to leave them… if they buy into that, they can stay."

Speaking to how serious she is about safety and the quality of training provided, LeBlanc has removed some clients from class over six months into the program, at which point they also don't get to keep the dog. LeBlanc's commitment to Vermont Paws & Boots is also made very clear by what she has personally invested besides her time, which is half of the $600,000 purchase of the property just off West Road.

"I have a very big stake in this… But I don't give up. We’re going to make this happen.

"I just might be eating rice a lot," she joked. "Go back to eating Ramen noodles for a while. But I believe we can pull this off."

You can learn more about Vermont Paws & Boots here. Donations can be made via PayPal, here, or by check to:

P.O. Box 257

Bennington, VT 05201

Tory Rich can be reached at [email protected]