Seven dogs graduated from the New Life K9s training program at the California Men's Colony on Thursday.
The dogs are trained by inmates at the prison for about two years, learning how to be service dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD.
New Life K9s' motto is "Saving lives through the healing power of the human-canine bond." Those involved in the program say that's not only true for those receiving the dogs but also for the inmates who train them.
"Oh man, it's a life changer. It definitely gives me something to do all day, every day and it tires me out so I get good sleep," laughed inmate handler Collin Davis. "But, it just keeps you away from all the other nonsense that goes on in prison and it allows you to just focus on that dog and they're therapy dogs for us too. They provide that therapy for us and allow us to just be individuals. I've been in prison almost 20 years and I didn't think I'd be on a prison yard making high-pitched squeaky noises and playing with dogs, so it changes your life for sure."
At Thursday's graduation, several speakers — including both inmates and those receiving the dogs — shared how the program has had an impact on their lives. The handlers also got to show off the special skills their dogs have learned.
Davis explained how they work with the dogs inside the prison.
"On a daily basis, we want to allow them to be dogs, so we do let them play, we let them sniff, let them have fun, and throughout the day we'll do 10-15 minute training sessions with them, teaching them skills and throughout the day we're working on manners so they're not picking food up off the floor, sniffing people when they walk by, not pulling anywhere, they're walking really proper on-leash, but it's a all day thing," he said.
Davis has been a part of the New Life K9s program for the past four years. He had a hand in training two of the dogs that graduated on Thursday — Henry and Kai. He's currently teamed up with a dog named Bonnie that he'll work with for another year before she's ready to graduate.
The inmates selected for the program have to go through an extensive application and interview process that includes a victim impact statement reflecting on their previous crimes, Davis explained.
"I've done bad in my life and I wanted to give back," he told KSBY. "I've had family members who committed suicide and I know that the dogs prevent veterans from committing suicide so I also wanted to give back to that."
Since the New Life K9s program started at CMC in 2018, 127 inmates have been involved as trainers and 38 of them have been paroled, according to prison officials.
Two of the dogs that graduated on Thursday are staying at the prison as support dogs for staff — a first for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The New Life K9s program receives funding from the Thousand Hills Pet Resort, Gentle Touch Pet Training, and Mission Cars.
