FCI Thomson announced a new program that lets inmates train dogs to be service animals. The facility will be partnering with VIP Service Dog Foundation for the program. The dogs will stay at the prison up until 18 months old. The program aims to give both the dogs and the inmates lifelong skills.
"It's really going to be a good environment because the dogs are going to get a lot of training time and a lot of focus," said Blair Peters, a spokesperson for VIP Service Dog Foundation. "So it's great for the dogs from that standpoint. Then it's also going to give the prisoners a chance to learn skills. They're going to work on grooming, they're going to work on dog training and being able to work with animals with different skillsets and different challenges."
AFGE Local 4070 president Jon Zumkehr thinks this can also be used to encourage good behavior.
"It also serves as a deterrent for the inmates not to do bad things in prison," said Zumkehr. "If they do bad things in prison, they'll get removed from the dog program. So a lot of the inmates want to participate in this program."
The prison hopes this can help inmates move on after serving their sentence.
"That's an important thing, it keeps the inmates busy, it gets them a life skill, and it gives them a sense of purpose that they are actually giving back to the community, training these service dogs," said Zumkehr.
The prison plans to train up to 15 dogs.
"It's really going to be a good environment because the dogs are going to get a lot of training time and a lot of focus," said Blair Peters, a spokesperson for VIP Service Dog Foundation. "So it's great for the dogs from that standpoint. Then it's also going to give the prisoners a chance to learn skills. They're going to work on grooming, they're going to work on dog training and being able to work with animals with different skillsets and different challenges."
AFGE Local 4070 president Jon Zumkehr thinks this can also be used to encourage good behavior.
"It also serves as a deterrent for the inmates not to do bad things in prison," said Zumkehr. "If they do bad things in prison, they'll get removed from the dog program. So a lot of the inmates want to participate in this program."
The prison hopes this can help inmates move on after serving their sentence.
"That's an important thing, it keeps the inmates busy, it gets them a life skill, and it gives them a sense of purpose that they are actually giving back to the community, training these service dogs," said Zumkehr.
The prison plans to train up to 15 dogs.
