4 Paws dogs in training

If you're curious to see the dogs that are being trained right now for placement with families in the coming months and years, you can see them here.

On the same site, you can also learn more about how 4 Paws for Ability uses inmates to do the initial obedience training for their dogs. You'll find links to their work with the Warren Correctional Center and the Larkin Correctional Center. Each participating dog is placed with a pair of inmates. The dog will actually live in the cell with the inmates, who share responsibility for training and caring for the dog.

To me, this is a great setup, because it's a win-win-win. It helps the prisoners build self-esteem and experience the unconditional love that only a dog can give. The dogs get plenty of attention and spend all day and night with their own personal trainers. And 4 Paws for Ability gets to train many more dogs without having to hire many more trainers.

And finally, you can see dogs ready for adoption to the general public. These are dogs that weren't quite qualified for service dog duty, but that are fully obedience trained and ready for permanenet homes.

The more I learn about this organization, the more impressed I am.

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