By C1 Staff
ORISKANY, NY — Dogs are going into the Oneida County Jail and emerging ready to be adopted by their forever homes, thanks to training from inmates participating in a new program.
The ‘Wags to Riches’ program partners inmates at the jail with animals from the Stevens Swan Humane Society (SSHS) to help lower the homeless dog population, according to CNY Central.
Between six to eight weeks, inmates work with the dogs to keep them groomed and well taken care of during their training. The training gets dogs used to wearing a leash and handling a home environment. Then the dogs go back up for adoption through SSHS.
The dogs are having a positive impact on the staff, too – corrections officers credit them as a stress resolver.
The program gives inmates an opportunity to learn new skills that could help them get a job once they are released. The program is funded through the SSHS and Inmates Program Unit.