The little intro video on the main page is pretty good.
What an excellent idea. Inmates get incredible lessons about being responsible and valuing a life, and society gets well-trained working dogs in return. I just love seeing crazy ideas like this take off. Posts: 1681 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Awww, how cute. I feel bad for the inmates who give that dog back after the 16 months of care.
Posts: 1261 | Registered: Apr 2004
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I thought that too, dabbler. But I think the fact that they were trusted weighs more than the loss. Contributing to others really builds confidence.
Posts: 666 | Registered: Dec 2003
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What a cool idea! You put it really well - "Inmates get incredible lessons about being responsible and valuing a life, and society gets well-trained working dogs in return" - Everybody wins. Posts: 5879 | Registered: Apr 2001
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I think I'm going to buy their Christmas cards next year. Sending Christmas cards to some members of my family is fraught with theological issues if you actually send anything Christmas themed. (Too secular or too much emphasis on Mary in a nativity scene can get you in trouble, don't ask.) In fact I might do the donations too. I know a couple of people would appreciate it, and even if they don't they know I'm a dog fanatic and will tolerate it from me.
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Our dog spent time in prison. Not long enough to be trained enough to be a service dog, but he was housebroken and sits and heels and stuff. It's a cool program.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Never heard of it before. Thanks for providing the link.
It seems that it helps the inmates considerably in becoming better people. It sounds like it would be good to have this program in a lot more prisons.
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I haven't seen it for a while but I really loved it. One time an inmate had several puppies in his cell and had to take care of them 24/7. Feeding, cleaning, and lots of play time with training in mind. Here's the write up from the Animal Planet. _________________________________________________ Cell Dogs
Cell Dogs follows the remarkable and intriguing story of the hundreds of lost, forgotten, abandoned and abused dogs sent to American prisons each year.
The dogs have committed no crime but, like the inmates who look after them, they have reached the end of the line. The Cell Dogs have one last chance, taken in by prisoners at some of the most terrifying institutions in the United States; these animals are being trained for a better life.
Animal Planet meets the forgotten few – human inmates and abandoned animals – that together can help change each other’s lives.
Behind the walls of America’s most frightening prisons, locked up for crimes ranging from assault to murder, the Prison Pet Partnership Programme is the last chance for the inmates to make a positive contribution and the dogs’ final chance for freedom and a good life.
Examining the number of successful rehabilitation schemes that have saved hundreds of pound dogs, Cell Dogs shows how hardened criminals are training these unwanted creatures to be wonderful pets, future guide dogs and, ironically, candidates for the Police Academy.
Posts: 333 | Registered: Feb 2002
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