This is an amazing idea and addresses what most of us believe; that dogs have a full range of emotions and memory. They do suffer mentally when they are neglected or abused. It became very apparent after Best Friends took on Michael Vic dogs and figured out that many of them literally had PTSD. The other great result from this is that they will have documented research regarding these issues in abused and neglected dogs. Hopefully this will truly support the fact that dogs are not property; as property does not feel pain, or have emotions… and it definitely does not have the ability to love. So this may be a great step to actually change the status of dogs from property to a guardianship which would give the dogs more rights or at least demand better care for these sentient beings.
http://dogtime.com/new-rehab-center-to-help-victims-of-animal-cruelty.html