NewsNational News

Actions

Wisconsin program brings together puppies and prisoners

Posted
and last updated

(WEAU) Dogs and inmates in Black River Falls, Wisconsin are becoming an unlikely pair through a non-profit program called Can Do Canines. 

Prisoners at the Jackson Correctional Institution train service dogs through the program that began last year. 

Most of the dogs live full time in the prison with the inmates, except for every other weekend when they live with foster families in the community to get acclimated to life outside the prison.

"When people first come here in orientation we bring the dogs up and they're just ecstatic about it. They're all like 'Oh it's a dog! We never thought we'd see a dog in prison'," said Josh, an inmate at JCI. 

The inmates teach the dogs a variety of commands, ranging from basic to advanced.

To read more, click here.