Adopting a dog is one of the most brilliant things a pet parent can do, but how do you decide on the dog to give a forever home to?
Some dogs find getting adopted much easier than others. This might be down to factors like age and breed, but also a dog’s behavior and temperament. And, to help hard-to-adopt dogs boost their chances of finding their families, inmates at one New Mexico prison have been busy training them – and no doubt playing with plenty of the best dog toys, too!
Last year, a no-kill animal shelter charity was asked to start a dog training program, P.A.W.S. – or Prisoners and Animals Working toward Success – for inmates at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in the city of Las Cruces, and inmates and dogs alike have been reaping the rewards.
The program helps inmates develop compassion and adhere to rules, while the dogs are learning important obedience skills and socialization. They learn basic boundaries and commands, while the inmates learn grooming, dog first aid, and how to potty train. They have one to two sessions with a trainer each week, but throughout the rest of the week, inmates and dogs live together 24 hours a day.
Currently, eight inmates are caring for four dogs, and are so committed that they even held a fundraiser to help cover some of the program’s costs.
Diana Bell, who volunteers with the Deming Animal Guardians charity, told the Good News Network that the program had to spend money hiring a trainer when it began. She said, “This is a significant expense for our small charity but we were committed to give it a try, since we saw it as a win-win opportunity.”
And they received a check from the inmates themselves, to help cover it. They asked a staff member to buy items from Sam’s Club, which they then packaged up and sold as toiletry kits. They raised $350 with many fellow inmates buying them – even those not involved in the project enjoy seeing the dogs around the prison (if you enjoy seeing dogs around, too, don’t miss these 32 reasons to adopt a dog here!).
One of the inmates wrote in a letter, “I am changed by this experience. I believe these men will go home more prepared for the world by finally owning up to being responsible, rather than careless, with another life.
“These dogs are all amazing in their own ways. None of them are broken beyond repair.”
The program’s current trainer, Jaime Banegas from WorkDogWork, said, “We are creating something very special with this program. Dogs that were once castaways are being loved and cared for by individuals in a place where love and care are in short supply.”
If you’d like some advice on training dogs yourself, here are 27 practical tips for training your dog on your own. Or, if you’re considering welcoming a new dog into your life, here are eight things you need to know before getting a rescue dog.
