Military Prison Service Dog Training Program Civilian prison programs for training service dogs for people with disabilities have been ongoing for more than 25 years. In 1981, Sister Pauline Quinn began the first prison service dog training program in Washington State Women's Correctional Facility. Pathways to Hope has since been modeled into at least 20 civilian correctional facilities in twelve states throughout United States. A television movie entitled Within These Walls, originally produced as part of the award-winning television anthology series the Hallmark Hall Of Fame and first aired on August 20, 2001, told the story of how the prison service dog training program was started. The Military Prison Service Dog Program is based on the concept of the civilian prison program to provide an opportunity for military prisoners to learn new skills and give back to the military community by raising and training service dogs for specifically for veterans. The Military Prison Service Dog Program is the only one of its' kind within a military prison system. While these service dogs in training are being trained by prisoners, the service dogs will meet all training, health and temperament requirement of the Carolina Canines civilian service dog training program and the dogs will know at least 70 tasks when ready to be partnered with their Veteran. Benefits of Military Prison Service Dog Program The Military Prison Service Dog Program is designed to teach community service as an alternative to crime while allowing prisoners to contribute to society without compromising public safety or security. Additionally, this program broadens the scope of programs and work experiences for prisoners providing a positive incentive for good behavior. Benefits to the Military The Military Prison Service Dog Program will provide veterans with disabilities assistance as they integrate back into society by providing them with a quality trained service dog to help them regain independence and an enhanced quality of life; and at the same time while requiring no additional personnel or monetary needs from the Department of Defense and minimal. The presence of dogs in the prison community may serve to lessen stress and have an overall calming effect on the population. Participant Experience and Requirements Prisoners participating will personally benefit from involvement in the service dog training program. A prisoner will be given an opportunity to give back and begin atonement. Their self-esteem will increase and they will become other-centered. Raising and training a service dog focuses ones self-discipline, and the prisoner trainer will become knowledgeable of the rights and daily needs of the disabled. Participants will learn to work as part of a team, and learn marketable skills such as basic, intermediate and advanced service dog training, basic health care needs of dogs, and basic dog grooming. An additional benefit is the giving and receiving of unconditional love for and by the dog. The prisoners participating in the service dog training program must be able to participate for up to 24 months. They must be compliant with prisoner policies, procedures and programs and have overall positive institutional record and attitude. Additionally, only prisoners recommended by the prison psychologist, and having no history of sexual assault/abuse, violence, additional charges or escape attempts since incarceration will be considered candidates for the service dog training program. Teams of two prisoners will work to train one service dog. The first training team will work with new prisoners added to the program to instruct them in the initial service dog training when new service dogs in training are added to the program. The goal will be to complete training of the first group of dogs with 9 to 12 months so that the dogs are ready for placement with an approved veteran. Veterans receiving the dogs will complete an application, managed by Carolina Canines staff in conjunction with appropriate military medical personal. The match between the Veteran and the dog will be made by Carolina Canines. Service dogs in training will be housed within the participating prisoner's. Because of the program structure and lack of access to public areas by the prisoners, additional volunteers (military or civilian) will be needed as volunteer dog handlers to provide sufficient training opportunities for the service dogs in training outside of the prison environment. Dogs for the service dog training program will be between 9 - 24 months of age, not puppies, and selected from local shelters, rescue situations or unwanted situations. Prior to acceptance for training, each dog will would be evaluated for suitable temperament for service work, be spayed/neutered, up-to-date on vaccinations, heartworm negative and have an acceptable hip evaluation by radiograph. The evaluation of the temperament, hips and heartworm are critical factors in determining if the animal will be accepted into training. Funding Funding is the responsibility of Carolina Canines for all aspects of the program related to the training and care of the animals including personnel, dog care supplies, veterinary care and medications including monthly heartworm preventative and flea/tick control, training material, documentation of training procedure, etc. This funding will be sought from veterans groups, grants, corporate sponsorship, individual donations or a combination of all the above.