American Military News March 07, 2020 Sunny Hernandez - Syracuse Media Group
Visiting a maximum security prison may not be the place you would think of turning when you need help, but thanks to the Puppies Behind Bars program, it is giving veterans and first responders a new leash on life.
Puppies Behind Bars began in 1997, when five Labrador puppies were brought into the maximum security Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Westchester County. Ten female inmates were tasked with nurturing, loving, and training the puppies to be future working dogs.
At present, Puppies Behind Bars instructors teach in six correctional facilities in New York and New Jersey, with approximately 140 prison inmates participating in the program as “puppy raisersâ€. Over the course of two years, the participants develop a bond with the service dogs, starting when the dogs are 8-weeks-old.
Many of these dogs have graduated to becoming working and service dogs. They might be sniffing out bombs or helping a first responder with symptoms of PTSD.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/03/at-upstate-ny-prisons-inmates-train-puppies-behind-bars-to-change-lives-for-veterans/
