Dogsey

Selected offenders at some prisons in the USA are being given the opportunity to care for dogs from rescue centres.

The initiative, 'Puppies for Parole' places rescue dogs, some of whom have disabilities or behavioural problems, in prisons, under the care of inmates. The inmates, with professional guidance, are responsible for exercising, feeding, training and socialising to help prepare the dog for adoption. When the dogs have completed the programme, they are either sent back to the rescue centres for re-homing or re-homed directly.

George Lombardi, director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, called the programme a “win-win-win situation”. He said that the offenders learn about responsibility and compassion from the dogs, which helps with their own rehabilitation and the presence of dogs results in reduced tensions, thus improving prison safety and security. Inmate waiting lists for dogs have grown and although each dog has two trainers, Mr Lombardi explained that the whole prison dormitory are involved with the care. In addition, the offenders get to 'give back' to the community in reparation for their crimes.



'Puppies for Parole' aims to reduce the number of homeless dogs euthanized, a number which, according to the programme, stood at over 46,000 in Missouri in 2009. It hopes this will be achieved by “producing loving, obedient, adoptable dogs”. The programme operates on private donations from organisations and inmates themselves. The programme's 500th dog, six-month-old deaf and blind Windsor, was adopted in 2011 - his adoption fee was donated by inmates.

'Puppies for Parole' was founded in February 2010.