It is hard to imagine an organization helping out two struggling populations of individuals in such a unique and rewarding way.
Meet Puppies Behind Bars. By empowering inmates through the painstaking task of training service dogs PBB helps inmates gain confidence and focus on something positive in their lives. But the benefits do not stop with the inmates that are transformed in the process. Through PBB’s Dog Tags program many of the trained dogs are placed with returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to help them combat traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Since 1998, PPB, in conjunction with Fishkill state prison and others, has been working with inmates to train Labrador puppies from the age of just 8 weeks until they are placed with a veteran, usually when the dog is 20-28 months old.
PBB is a rigorous program and is accredited through Assistance Dogs International.
When selected, the veteran must participate in a 14-day “team training” in upstate New York. PBB pays for 100% of the travel and boarding costs associated with the training. Over the course of the 14 days, each client is matched with a dog, learns the commands that the dog knows and learns how to care for the dog. About half the team training is conducted in prison, where the veterans are able to learn directly from the inmate puppy raisers who trained their dogs. The bonds formed between the veteran, inmates and dog are life changing and life affirming.
Check them out at:
http://www.puppiesbehindbars.com
