Los Angeles, December 6, 2010 - New Directions has recently partnered with the nonprofit program Operation Heroes & Hounds in an effort to teach valuable skills to veterans who have difficulties in transitioning back to civilian life. Since 1992, New Directions has offered long term transitional care to veterans struggling with homelessness, alcohol and drug addiction, mental health issues and emotional trauma. New Directions operates five different residential facilities, including two houses for female veterans and Chris' Place, one of the nation's first transitional homes for veterans of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Operation Heroes & Hounds is a non-profit program created by dog behavior expert Tamar Geller, author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Loved Dog," and canine coach to such celebrity clients as Oprah Winfrey, Larry King and Natalie Portman. Operation Heroes & Hounds was established to aid injured U.S. service members who suffer from physical and/or psychological wounds. These men and women are taught to coach shelter dogs using The Loved Dog method, and along the way they regain a sense of purpose, self esteem and life skills needed to aid their transition back to normalized society. Simultaneously, homeless dogs learn how to interact properly with humans and gain a chance for permanent adoption. Operation Heroes & Hounds offers service members and shelter dogs an opportunity to heal their emotional wounds together.

Veterans at three New Directions facilities began the eight-week Operation Hounds & Heroes program in mid-November, and they will continue training dogs through the first part of January, 2011. The Loved Dog approach to behavior modification is a playful, nonaggressive way to teach canine good manners, and has been endorsed by The Humane Society of the United States. Ms. Geller's first program, Another Chance for Love, brought together shelter dogs and juveniles in detention centers to create an atmosphere of healing for both the animals and their human coaches. The Loved Dog approach that is being used with veterans at New Directions has already shown success with U.S. military personnel at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.

In addition to her work as a dog coach and owner of The Loved Dog Center in West Los Angeles, Ms. Geller serves as an advisor to The Humane Society of the United States and Best Friends Animal Society. For more information about Operation Heroes & Hounds, visit www.operationheroesandhounds.org. For more information about New Directions, visit http://www.newdirectionsinc.org.