Two Service Dogs Complete Training Program

(Concord, NH) The New Hampshire Department of Corrections announces that two service dogs which have been trained by inmates at the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord are graduating from the program. A graduation ceremony will occur at the prison on Thursday, August 30, 2007.

The dogs were introduced to the prison in October 2005 as part of a joint venture with the Pathways to Hope organization of Casco, Maine. The organization provided the dogs, training support, veterinarian support, and all associated supplies at no cost to New Hampshire taxpayers.

Corrections Commissioner William L. Wrenn said, “It is important for the Department to continue to partner with community-based organizations such as this to help meet a need while giving offenders a chance to learn a marketable skill.”

A third dog will participate in the graduation exercise but will not become a service dog. Instead this dog will be given to a good home.