LAFAYETTE — Tippecanoe County Community Corrections and Almost Home Humane Society are teaming up to bring shelter dogs and ex-convicts together in a mutually beneficial relationship.
Beginning next year, certain community corrections volunteers who complete training and vetting will be paired with shelter dogs, who will complete social and obedience training several times a week at the North Ninth Street location.
"We're each trying to do the same thing: one with two legs and one with four legs," said Jason Huber, executive director of Tippecanoe County Community Corrections. "We're trying to re-acclimate each of our populations, get them training and get them the skills to be successful outside of where they currently are finding themselves. ... The ultimate goal is to get everybody back home and productive members of society."
To begin, roughly six to eight community corrections participants will help train three to four dogs, who will be transported to and from the shelter roughly three to four times a week.
The PAWS program, which stands for Participants and Animals Working Toward Success, could grow as it becomes more successful, Huber said.
It's a "100 percent voluntary program for people to participate in," he said. "I don’t think we'll have any problem filling the spots that we have, which is great. It’s a program in its infancy and we're not going to rush it to get dogs out. We want to do it right and do it the correct way."
Studies show a 11 to 15 percent recidivism rate for participants in jail dog programs, much lower than the 50 to 60 percent average recidivism rate, Huber said.