Puppies Behind Bars seeks volunteers, fosters
Volunteers with some of the trainees of Puppies Behind Bars. Courtesy photos.
Volunteers needed in Ellenville to socialize puppies being trained as explosive detection canines
No matter who you are, who you vote for, or what your background is, there may be one thing we can all agree on: Puppies are adorable.
And if you’ve ever owned a puppy, or two at the same time like yours truly(!), you know consistent training is an integral part of their development, and yours as a pet handler. It’s also good for your health. Research consistently shows that spending time with dogs raises dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin levels – the “feel good” chemicals our brains release to improve mood and affect happiness.
Puppies Behind Bars (PBB), a New York-based non-profit that trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, explosive detection canines (EDCs) for law enforcement, and facility dogs for police departments, is seeking responsible and dedicated volunteers in the Hudson Valley to help with their mission.
Puppies live with incarcerated individuals in local prisons from the age of eight weeks to around 24-months as part of PBB. Volunteers help bring the puppies to stores, restaurants, sporting events, the post office or just a walk through town to help socialize the dog. “These socialization experiences help prepare the puppies for future and successful work as a service or facility dog.”
Volunteers not only provide additional love and play to the puppies, they are required to take notes and report back to the puppy raiser on how the dog is doing, offering invaluable insights into where adjustments may need to be made.
By teaching incarcerated individuals to train the dogs for service, while setting expectations and goals to achieve, they are given the skills and confidence they need to re-enter society, and contribute even while incarcerated, PBB added.
So far, around 3,000 dogs have been raised since PBB’s formation 25 years ago with the first puppies trained at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where it continues to operate to this day. PBB quickly grew its partners to include Eastern Correctional in Napanoch, Fishkill (Beacon), Otisville, and Wallkill. Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville is the most recent prison to host the program.
Hudson Valley families who live within 45 minutes of these facilities are needed as volunteers to help socialize the puppies within the community. Volunteers can sign-up to be overnight sitters, taking dogs of all ages into your home overnight to socialize, or daytime sitters, taking dogs of all ages for a few hours during the day to socialize. Since training and organizing within the prisons are intensive, PBB asks those interested to commit to volunteering at least once a month for one year. Volunteers will also attend two in-person training sessions to learn about handling the dogs, commands, how to read a dog’s body language and other tips.
Currently, the greatest need for volunteers is around Ellenville to help socialize puppies being trained as explosive detection canines at Eastern Correctional Facility. The next scheduled information session for volunteers will be held late April, but sessions are sometimes added as demand dictates. Learn more and sign-up for updates at puppiesbehindbars.com/volunteers/
Puppies Behind Bars is also seeking dedicated families in that area to provide stable foster homes for broods. These are specially selected dogs from within the program for their intelligence and excellent health, who will benefit from a happy, stable home environment while they are part of the program, and where they will hopefully remain as their forever home, once retired. Those interested in learning more about fostering a PBB dog, can also visit puppiesbehindbars.com/volunteers/ or call Jennifer Lyden at 212-680-9562.
“It feels like I’m doing something important for the dog, because at the end of the day this dog is going to help someone who needs it a lot. If you love animals why not spend some time with some cute dogs.”
