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Inmate-trained dogs bring comfort to veterans in need

Prison Pups N Pals is an effort involving the prison and Halifax Humane Society to train shelter dogs

By R. Norman Moody
Florida Today

DAYTONA BEACH — Suzuki stared up at Tom Reynolds as if waiting for a command. Reynolds, of Cape Canaveral, draws the dog close and tells how grateful he is to have the animal.

“He’s done phenomenal since I brought him home,” he said. Reynolds received Suzuki, a Labrador, Shepherd and Pitbull mix dog, through a partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Tomoka Correctional Institution Work Camp in Volusia County.

“He is going to be a good ambassador for the program,” said Reynolds, 66, a disabled Vietnam veteran who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Prison Pups N Pals, which started about three years ago, is an effort involving the prison, West Volusia Kennel Club, and Halifax Humane Society to train shelter dogs, making them more adoptable.

Full story: Inmate-trained dogs bring comfort to veterans in need