Editor’s note: Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald, Wellness Editor, submitted this feature to The Huffingtion Post on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. There are a dozen poignant photographs of inmates, trainers, dogs, and prison personnel. Read slowly the essays prisoners wrote to qualify for the dog-training program.
“August 9, 2014, was one of the most memorable days of my life. On that day I entered a maximum-security prison in Lancaster, CA, to witness an extraordinary event connecting the lives of some of its inmates with a pack of rescued shelter dogs. Just a few months ago, five lucky dogs–Shelby, Oreo, Rendell, Chuey, and Eddie–beat the odds…, were pulled from a high-kill shelter in Los Angeles[, CA,] and entered this Level 4 prison for a chance at a better life.”