Posts tagged "puppies behind bars"

What animal lover hasn't daydreamed about ditching their desk job and applying for a job at the zoo? Or at a doggy daycare? Or tracking gorillas in Africa? We sure have, but since most of us may never actually get to work with the animals we love, we thought we'd introduce you to a few people who do.

Name: Gloria Gilbert Stoga
Age: 55
Job: Founder and President, Puppies Behind Bars

What is Puppies Behind Bars?
It's a non-profit organization that trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for the disabled and explosive detection canines for law enforcement.

How do you go about that?
We bring puppies into prison when they're eight weeks of age, then we go in one day a week to teach the inmate how to care for the dogs and train them in commands.

How did this program start?
A vet in Florida, Dr. Thomas Lane, came up with the first guide dog prison program in 1990. I read about it and thought it was a terrific idea. So in 1997, after researching what he did, I came up with my own variation of the idea. It took seven months to get the program going, and Mrs. Libby Pataki, who was the governor's wife, helped me get approval in Albany, New York.

Why did you feel there was a need for the program, beyond what Dr. Thomas was doing?
At that time, it was difficult to find families who would raise guide dogs. Asking a family to raise a puppy for about 19 months and then give it up is a lot to ask. When there were more stay-at-home spouses it was easier, but with most two-income couples, it's hard to raise a dog that's not your pet. I just thought that it made sense to give prison inmates an opportunity to contribute to society, even when they were incarcerated.