Prison Dogs Rehab Program

I was with my mom the other day. While she was reading the paper, she showed me an article about how dogs are being used to rehabilitate prisoners. The prisoners in the article were not cold-blooded, rather young women who would up serving time in situations such as shoplifting. One of the girls who was in the program was planning on getting her GED after finishing out the program. Working to help her dog gave he a new hope. Being able to work with and help train a dog helped her realize what was really important in life.

There have been many programs sprouting up in this country as well as some places abroad. Dogs are brought into minimum and medium security prisons to let model inmates train them. Some dogs are trained so they can be socialized, others are trained to be therapy dogs. There's also a small fraction of dogs who are trained to be assistance dogs such as guide dogs.

With hard work and patience, life has more meaning for those serving time in prison. Yes, their crimes are what got them there in the first place, but after an inmate has served their time, what do they do afterwards? These type of programs give the inmates hope and a chance to start fresh.

The beauty of these programs is that it gives the prisoners a chance work in a situation where they are not judged. Since dogs love unconditionally, they don't need to put up walls or pretend to be something they're not. It helps prisoners to realize that there is hope for them when they finish their sentence. They get the reward of knowing they've helped make a dog's life better and fuller as a result of their hard work.

If you would like to read more about how these programs work you may want to check out 4Paws For Ability or Neads. Neads.org has an incredible video that really captures the essence of why these programs are so special.

Well, thanks for stopping in. I hope that you all are having a great day.