Prison Inmate Says Goodbye To Puppy He Raised In Cell, New Owner Receives A Handwritten Note

Oct 21, 2021

Training a puppy comes with plenty of challenges but also plenty of rewards. Inmates at SCI Chester in Chester, Pennsylvania, have found that caring for these animals and helping them become the best they can be has taught them some pretty valuable life lessons along the way. Part of the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, SCI Chester works with the WAGS Rescue dog training program not only to inspire their inmates to work on becoming better people but also to help several shelter puppies and dogs.

Inmates need to request to get into the program, and many feel privileged when they are accepted. The training program is not only a way to keep them busy and hopeful while behind bars but also a way to help raise an animal and provide it with all the love, care and respect in the world. The dogs spend all day and all night with the prisoners, with each inmate taking on the responsibility of caring for at least one puppy. 

This requires one-on-one training, waking up in the middle of the night to let the dogs out for a bathroom break and, of course, giving the animals plenty of love. The prisoners are also given weekly goals to show that the puppy is learning and doing well in the program. The results have been completely life-changing for the prisoners, the dogs and the people who will adopt the pups in the future. Read on to find out more about this heartwarming program that has helped people and animals across the state of Pennsylvania.

In November 2017, FOX 29 reported that the program partnership with SCI Chester helps WAGS Rescue just as much as it helps the inmates. Since so many of the dogs were going to the prison, it freed up more space in the shelter, resulting in more dogs being able to be taken in. So many inmates showed that they wanted to help, so the rescue center sent over more dogs and made it clear what their expectations were about the dogs and their training schedules.

The puppy program first started in 2001 and has since expanded to be implemented in a number of prisons in various cities across Pennsylvania, according to COR. Along with WAGS Rescue, the programs also work with the Humane Animal Rescue and Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs.

“The dog is a reflection of what we teach them,” an SCI Chester inmate named Larry told FOX 29. “So if we can teach them to be good dogs, like we would ourselves, the reward is right there.” The dogs stay with the prisoners all day and night, and even sleep in their cell with them. 

It was clear that Larry and all of the other inmates grew to be extremely attached to the adorable pup they helped raise and train, which made saying goodbye so much harder. Fortunately, the dogs only left the prison when they found their forever homes. Each inmate wrote a personal letter to their dogs’ new owners, making sure to include every detail they learned about their furry friends along the way.

The dogs served as a reflection of the inmates, showing just how much they were changing as they counted down the days until they, too, would leave the prison.

What do you think about this puppy program? Let us know, and be sure to send this along to your family members and friends to find out what they think, too.