NHL champ welcomes 'people pleaser' Sawyer the comfort dog to Taunton sober house
TAUNTON — Men staying at Barracks 22 sober home in Taunton are getting emotional support to overcome addiction from a very special new resident — Sawyer, a golden retriever comfort dog.
"It's amazing to watch Sawyer walk up to each resident and put his head on each of their laps," said Dr. Michael Hamrock, an addiction specialist with Steward Medical Group, during a ceremony outside Barracks 22 on King Street in Taunton on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022.
Sawyer was given to the men's sober home by Power Forward, a Marshfield-based non-profit founded by Kevin Stevens, a two-time Stanley cup National Hockey League player who spent 25 years battling opioid addiction.
"Getting sober was the hardest thing I had to do," Stevens said during the ceremony. "The dog is a people pleaser."
Stevens, a Brockton native who grew up in Pembroke, played on five teams during a 17-year career, including a stint with the Boston Bruins.
Barracks 22 welcomes comfort dog
Stevens' sister Kelli Wilson, the Power Forward CEO, said Barracks 22 was able to receive Sawyer through the efforts of Hamrock's "Dog Ownership Enhancing Recovery Program" (DOER).
"He found that the patients who have dogs at home do better in their recovery," Wilson said.
Wilson said DOER is the first dog recovery program in the nation. Hamrock, an addiction specialist at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Brighton, founded it to help people receiving care in sober homes.
Barracks 22 resident Clinton Smith, 47, said he is excited about Sawyer living in the sober home.
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"I'm going to be spending every morning with him," he said before the ceremony. "I'm going to be the primary caregiver of Sawyer during the day, and some of the other guys have expressed excitement."
Smith said the Barracks 22 staff have helped him "tremendously" to overcome drug addiction by providing a stable environment through "chores and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings."
Barracks 22 is administered by There Is a Solution, a New Bedford-based non-profit that provides clients with a 30-day in-house counseling program who have previously received treatment in a detoxification center.
There Is a Solution founder Nate Costa said the donation of Sawyer "is a conduit we can use to change people's lives."
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"I think the spirit of the dog and how he has already connected with the people in this home is absolutely mind-boggling," he said during the ceremony.
Costa said Sawyer is helping the people in Barracks 22 to be "filled with unconditional love from man's best friend."
'The power of dogs'
Wilson said Power Forward was able to donate Sawyer to Barracks 22 because of a "team effort" by Hamrock's Dog Ownership Enhancing Recovery Program, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration's Operation Engage and Golden Opportunities for Independence.
Operation Engage initiative is a comprehensive community-level DEA approach to addressing the drug epidemic through prevention strategies, facilitating conversations and collaboration with local partners.
Operation Engage agent Asa Morse said the donation of Sawyer to Barracks 22 "is an outstanding idea."
"Sawyer is helping to breed a pattern for preventing a relapse into addiction," she said during the ceremony.
Wilson said Sawyer was trained to be a comfort dog by Golden Opportunities for Independence, a Walpole-based non-profit organization founded by Pauline Hoegler, a registered nurse.
"She gave us Sawyer," Wilson said.
Hoegler said, "Golden Opportunities strives to help people struggling with addiction and disabilities to gain independence."
"Addiction is an illness," she said before the ceremony. "This is a great opportunity for us to help people through the power of dogs."
Power Forward rips addiction stigma
Wilson said Stevens founded Power Forward to help remove a societal stigma from addiction.
"We have a group of volunteers that work hard to remove the stigma of addiction," she said before the ceremony.
Wilson said Stevens has an effective voice to help eliminate the addiction stigma.
"He was the best left winger in the NHL and he fell from grace because of a complex brain disease called addiction," she said.
Stevens' injury happened after he crashed into the player so forcefully he knocked himself unconscious.
"He was actively addicted for 24 years," Wilson said.
Stevens' involvement with drugs included being charged in December 2016 with conspiracy to possess oxycodone with the intent to distribute it.
Wilson said, "it's been a long hard journey" for her brother.
"Kevin does a lot of speaking and sharing his story of hope and redemption," she said.
Power Forward seeks comfort dogs
Wilson said Power Forward hopes to provide comfort dogs to 25 sober homes during the months ahead.
"We will then be able to gather data to see if it makes a difference on the road to recovery," she said before the ceremony. "We will ask questions to people in the homes and give them questionnaires to complete."
Wilson said people can help Power Forward donate more dogs by making a financial contribution.
Additional information about how to contribute to Power Forward and its objectives is available online at https://www.powerforward25.com.
The Cape Cod Times and The Patriot Ledger contributed to this report
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Kevin Stevens: Sober house welcomes Sawyer the comfort dog
