Puppies in Prison: Inmates give back to the community by training service dogs

A few days ago, I read an article about prison inmates who train puppies to serve as guide dogs for disabled people, including military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The prison inmates are in maximum security prisons because they are convicted of killing or stabbing people or other major felonies.

The program is called Puppies Behind Bars. The puppies are all Labradors and Golden Retrievers. They arrive at the prison when they are eight weeks old. The puppies live in metal crates within the inmate’s cells. The puppies remain inside the prison, working mostly with the same inmate for 16 months. The puppies learn 82 commands before they are tested to determine their suitability for training as service dogs for the disabled. If they are deemed suitable, Puppies Behind Bars returns the puppies to schools where they continue their formal training. If the puppies do not continue on the track to become working dogs, Puppies Behind Bars donates them to families with blind children.

Mama likes the idea of this program. The inmates not only train the dogs but the dogs also train them. The inmates learn patience, what it is like to be completely responsible for a living being, how to give and receive unconditional love, and how to work as a team. The comforting presence of the puppies have helped women in domestic violence classes open up and talk. The puppies have also given inmates a chance to give back to society.

- Mama