There are some lucky dogs in Las Vegas. In southern Nevada more than 40,000 animals are euthanised each year. A few of the dogs avoid the death sentence in favour of prison, thanks to the Heaven Can Wait – Pups On Parole programme:

Prison dog. Photo by JuanRax.

Pups on Parole has been a huge success! Not only are the inmates rehabilitating the dogs, but the dogs are rehabilitating the women who work with them. The resident dog handlers have gained a new sense of confidence in themselves and learned a valuable new skill.

The dogs are taken into the care of prisoners at correctional facilities, and are trained up for release into the care of families.

Inmates at the prisons take on one dog each. They train the dog, socialise it, often help it regain lost trust in people.

And on the other side, the prisoners gain too. I suspect in the following quote, the word ‘retribution’ is meant to be ‘restitution’:

“We’ve been able to track them, and we’re finding that they’re not recommitting crimes. They’re not violating parole,” Kearse said.

Heather Hanley, serving time for armed robbery, said training dogs like 4-month-old Rottweiler Chief is giving her a chance for retribution.

“If I can produce a pet that is not just a great dog but a dog that’s going to be given to a family, that’s going to strengthen their family bond and be a welcome edition to their family, then maybe I’ve done something to give back for all the mistakes I’ve made,” Hanley said.

[Via : Inmates Train Abandoned Dogs For Families - Family News Story - KVVU Las Vegas.]

These kinds of prison training programmes seem to be a win for everybody involved.