Finding a Furever Home: Dogs in prison program ready for adoption

Published 9:30 am Monday, November 15, 2021

VALDOSTA – Five dogs in the Hamilton Hounds prison program are in need of adoption. 

The Humane Society of Valdosta/Lowndes County brought canines Brooke, Mars, Rachel, Savannah and Kermit to Big Nick’s on Baytree for a pre-adoption event held Saturday.

The rescues are part of a prison dog program implemented by the Humane Society and Hamilton Corrections Institution in Jasper, Florida. Hamilton Hounds partners 10 prisoners with the five dogs for training purposes.

Seeing the progress of the dogs since the program began Oct. 5 has been amazing for Katie Rooney of North Florida Paws. She is the lead dog trainer for Hamilton Hounds.

“All five dogs knew no manners with dog-to-human or doggie manners, dog-to-dog, so the inmates have done a great job learning how to handle the behavior issues and also teaching them their obedience commands,” she said. 

The prisoners, also known as handlers, are currently in the process of perfecting the commands with the dogs, she said.

The goal of the pre-adoption event was to allow families to meet the dogs and apply on-site if interested in adopting one of the five dogs. 

The canines were only in town for a few hours, returning to Hamilton Corrections Saturday.

Victoria Grindle, lead dog handler for the Humane Society, said the dogs are all spoiled.

“Spoiled is an understatement,” she said. 

Participating inmates are in the low-security dorms at Hamilton Corrections.

The dogs are kept at the prison, with crates sitting next to the handlers’ beds. The inmates are tasked with caring for the animals 24/7 to build connections.

Grindle said the dogs interact with one another in a play yard set up for them.  

The Humane Society needs all of the dogs to be adopted by Dec. 8, graduation day for Hamilton Hounds. The selected families will go to the Florida prison to retrieve their pets.

Grindle said the adoptable dogs are spayed and neutered, have had all of their vaccinations, come fully trained and have tested negative for heart worms. The fee to adopt is $185.

“These ones have had the added benefit of being a rescue dog but also get all of that training. They get that kind of pre-home life exposure to an extent,” Grindle said. “… With these, you’re kind of doing the added benefit. You’re getting a trained dog already. You’re getting one you know helped people (and) have improved others lives. So, there’s so many more positives, I think, for adopting from us.”

Free in-home training will be provided through North Florida Paws, Rooney said.

Visit facebook.com/humanesocietyofvaldosta for updated information about adopting the dogs.