Prison Pet Partnership

PRISON PET PARTNERSHIP (PPP) ENRICHES THE LIVES OF INMATES, HOMELESS ANIMALS AND THE COMMUNITY THROUGH THE HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND. PPP TRAINS RESCUE AND PURPOSE-BRED DOGS AS SERVICE, THERAPY AND COMPANION ANIMALS. PPP ALSO OPERATES A BOARDING AND GROOMING FACILITY TO PROVIDE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION TO INCARCERATED WOMEN. WHEN WOMEN RELEASE FROM PRISON, PPP ASSISTS WITH JOB PLACEMENT AND PROVIDES SCHOLARSHIPS TO FORMER PARTICIPANTS WHO WISH TO FURTHER THEIR KNOWLEDGE IN THE ANIMAL CARE INDUSTRY.

IN THE PAST YEAR, THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM EMPLOYED 18 INCARCERATED WOMEN. FOUR WOMEN ENROLLED AND COMPLETED OUR BASIC PET CARE CLASS; 2 OF THESE WERE HIRED TO COMPLETE ON-THE-JOB TRAINING IN OUR BOARDING KENNEL FACILITY AND ARE INCLUDED IN THE 18 EMPLOYED NUMBER ABOVE. FOUR WOMEN WERE EMPLOYED AS PET GROOMERS AND EACH COMPLETED WRITTEN AND PRACTICAL TESTING, AND RECEIVED CERTIFICATION VIA INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL GROOMERS, INC (IPG). ONE FORMERLY INCARCERATED PARTICIPANT REQUESTED AND RECEIVED FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FROM PPP TO ACQUIRE GROOMING TOOLS. THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS EMPLOYED WITH PPP HAS A KENNEL WORKER, DOG TRAINER AND A DOG BATHER. WHEN SHE WAS RELEASED TO THE COMMUNITY, HER EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING AT PPP HELPED HER TO LAND A JOB AT A DOGGIE DAY CARE IN SEATTLE. SHE BECAME A MANAGER AND HAS SINCE STARTED USING HER NEW TOOLS PROVIDED BY PPP TO BECOME A GROOMER.

THE DOG TRAINING PROGRAM HAD A TOTAL OF 22 DOGS IN TRAINING THIS PAST YEAR. IN ADDITION TO THE 12 DOGS IN TRAINING AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS FISCAL, PPP TOOK IN 5 RESCUE DOGS AND 5 ADDITIONAL PURPOSE-BRED PUPPIES FOR TRAINING AND PLACEMENT AS SERVICE, THERAPY AND COMPANION ANIMALS. OF THE 22 DOGS, 4 WERE PLACED AS SERVICE DOGS, 1 WAS PLACED AS A THERAPY DOG, AND 9 WERE PLACED IN PERMANENT HOMES. AT THE END OF THE FISCAL, 8 DOGS REMAINED IN TRAINING IN VOLUNTEER FOSTER HOMES WHILE PPP IS STILL AWAY FROM THE PRISON DURING THE PANDEMIC