Gardenia E. Janssen Animal Shelter Partnering with Paws in Prison
The best things in life are rescued one way or another and the Paws in Prison program is the perfect fit for that. The Gardenia E. Janssen Animal Shelter (GJAS) is proud to announce its paw-tnership with the Paws in Prison program in the Women’s Correctional Facility in Lockhart.
The Paws in Prison program was started in December of 2007 to not only rescue dogs but also the women who train them. Many women in prison feel broken, lost, and hopeless because they have experienced some kind of trauma or are mothers and the same can be said for the animals in shelters so what better way than to put the two together because with hope, love, and paws anything can be possible.
The inmates are learning not only how to train the dogs but also important life skills that will help them once they are released because upon completing the eight-week program the inmate receives an On-the-Job Training certificate for the animal caretaker job title and the dogs receive the training they need, plus a lot of love and attention they so desperately want.
Their mission is to rehabilitate female prisoners, save shelter dogs from euthanasia, train a loving family pet for adoption, and provide the community with productive members of society who bring their newly learned skills into animal welfare occupations. “Just like GJAS, their mission is to secure the best possible permanent homes for these animals. We believe in developing a new partnership with an organization that shares our values and the same mission to help those that cannot help themselves. This one in particular just happens to have the added benefit of helping women in need as well,” said Teresa Stanley-Brown, director of the GJAS.
Since the start of the program, 400 dogs have been placed into forever homes and GJAS is pleased to be a part of making that number grow. “In our efforts to save lives we are constantly partnering and networking with other rescue organizations all over the country. When we learned about the Paws in Prison program, we knew we would be able to place one of our dogs in the program, eventually,” said Stanley-Brown.
And the GJAS found the perfect fit. Scout, one of their senior girls between the age of 8-10 years old, was recently placed in the Paws in Prison program in Lockhart. Scout, who is reasonably healthy, was chosen because her age made her less adoptable to the community. Once the program is over she will be adoptable through the rescue organization that runs the Paws in Prison program until she will stay with her new “mom” until the right family is chosen. You can follow Scout’s progress by checking out the GJAS Facebook page and their newsletter.
Remember you can’t buy love but you can rescue it, so check out the GJAS website at www.janssenanimalshelter.org to see if you can rescue your best friend and to learn even more about the Paws in Prison program visit www.pawsinprison.com.