HOMETOWN STRONG MARCH 2022

Andy Tiner, PT chose Paws for Prison to receive $1000.

Arkansas Paws in Prison is committed to rehabilitating inmates and giving rescue dogs a second chance at life by preparing them to be loving, obedient, adoptable pets. The Arkansas Paws in Prison program pairs inmate trainers with rescue dogs for eight to ten weeks of obedience training and socialization in preparation for adoption. Prior to graduating from the program, each dog must pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen test. Because the dogs are properly socialized and trained, their chances of adoption improve drastically, and the risk of being returned to a shelter for unruly behavior decreases significantly. Many of our program’s “graduates” have gone on to become therapy animals and service dogs, including the first water leak detection dog in North America. Paws in Prison collaborates with animal shelters and rescues throughout the state to advance its goal to reduce the number of dogs languishing in shelters and reduce the number of dogs euthanized each year in Arkansas. Since the program began in 2011, more than 2,000 dogs have been rescued, trained, and adopted by loving forever families.