Dogs (and Inmates) get a Second Chance

Doggy Heroic acts can be large and small :)
"A recent graduate of the program named Ed, who was adopted by a nursing home, became a hero after he showed up at the breakfast table with the missing dentures of one of the home's residents whose false teeth had been the objects of a search."
"Death Row Dogs" in Muhlenberg County are being given a second chance at life by going to prison.

Through the program, animals that might otherwise have been euthanized at the local animal shelter are being temporarily placed with selected inmates at the local Green River Correctional Complex for care and training, and eventual adoption to new owners on the outside.

The medium-security prison on the outskirts of Central City that houses about 965 inmates has been cooperating with the Muhlenberg County Humane Society since 2004. Dogs with acceptable temperaments are assigned to inmate trainers who are schooled in successful dog-training techniques.

"We've had several dogs go on to be therapy dogs, working nursing homes with Alzheimer's patients, and reading dogs to help children become comfortable reading out loud," said Stacy Dortch, program administrator at the prison. "We had an autistic child that recently adopted one of the dogs as a therapy dog."

There is rarely a dull moment with the dogs in the cells. Earlier this week, one of the animals got into his inmate trainer's locker and pulled out his pajamas to use as a chew toy. A recent graduate of the program named Ed, who was adopted by a nursing home, became a hero after he showed up at the breakfast table with the missing dentures of one of the home's residents whose false teeth had been the objects of a search.

"I've never been a parent, but I compare (the dogs) to how parents describe their 2-year-old children," said Rice. "With every single dog that we're assigned, there is always at least one thing that happens every class that just gets your heart. Any number of the guys that are in the program could probably tell you a hundred stories."

For more details and to see photographs of Death Row Dogs now available for adoption, go to the Muhlenberg County Humane Society's Web site at: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/KY77.html
Byron Crawford bcrawford@courier-journal.com
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