Pound Pup Legacy

The empty nest syndrome a mother feels when her children leave home is the same way Jeremy Shane, inmate at Ellsworth Correctional Facility, and many other inmates feel about their dogs.

Ellsworth Correctional Facility inmates are involved in a prison dog program in conjunction with the non-profit organization Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services. The partnership, which has been strong for eight years, trains dogs that are affordable and available to people with special needs. There are 14 inmates who are currently training dogs.

After the dogs are trained, the inmate, the dog and the person who will receive the service dog meet at a graduation ceremony.

"It is hard sometimes to let the dogs go after you've spent so much time with them and worked so hard to train them, then they just leave," Shane said.

The dog lives with the inmates in their cell, said Robert Speer, head of the prison dog program at Ellsworth.

"The inmates have the time to spend to bond and teach them. Most professional trainers are trying to train 20 dogs at the same time," Speer said.

Sarah Holbert, chief executive officer of CARES, said the dogs are a bargain for recipients, and they benefit the community.

When the people in need receive dogs, they pay a $500 reimbursement fee that funds everything that goes with the dog, including specialized equipment, a microchip to help locate the dog and a specialized harness, Holbert said.

"These types of dogs are being sold for more than $20,000 per dog," she said.

After the dogs are trained and the inmates give the dogs away in the graduation ceremony, CARES customizes the dog to the individual recipient's particular need, Holbert said.

CARES trains dogs for assisting people who are handicapped, have developmental, hearing or emotional problems, seizures or diabetes health issues.

The staff and inmates at Ellsworth are terrific to work with, and they make the program run smoothly, Holbert said.