Service Dogs Alabama has approximately 50 dogs in training at various levels at all times. This number grows annually.
The process for training is individual depending on a puppy’s progress as he moves through training levels. Most puppies will start training at our Training Center. They may go to trained socializer homes or into full-time training at our prison facility.
Each puppy is different. Our goal is to find the exact right job for each one so that he loves his job. We will never try to fit a square peg into a round hole!
Even though we are thorough in our assessments of puppies, we still have puppies that make it through partial or full training and are not suitable to be a Service or Facility Dog. SDA has a 100% adoption rate to excellent homes of all dogs that do not make it through our program.
All service dogs placed by SDA are 100% guaranteed to work for their recipient. We will take any dog back within the first year of placement and assign another dog to that recipient. (This rarely ever happens.)
PRISON TRAINING
Our breeding program breeds for healthy dogs especially clear hips and joints as well as nine temperament factors. We do accept puppies from other breeders who meet our requirements.
Training Service Dogs in prisons gives inmates consistent responsibility for the care and training of a dog with the ultimate purpose of helping a child or Veteran with a disability or a school full of children.
Depending on the length of their sentence, inmates may be part of the Service Dogs Alabama training team for two years to a decade. During this time, the inmate changes their habits, their routines, and the way that they think in order to be an effective Service Dog trainer..
In a prison, time can stand still for the incarcerated inmate. They can stay stuck in the moment that they were incarcerated. However, the Service Dog Training program stops the prisoner’s stagnation (and time warp) and initiates the formation of new habits- new thoughts, responses, actions, and expectations.
Training a Service Dog in prison over a period of time translates into these life skills:
- Better parenting
- Increased self-control
- Anger and emotion management
- Communication Skills
- Teamwork
- Compassion
- Purpose
Recidivism rates are reported extremely low for inmates who participate in our dog training program.
The cost of arrest, jail, court costs, attorney fees, conviction, and imprisonment for a felony conviction can easily add up to $500,000 of taxpayer money. The savings to taxpayers are substantial, totaling in the millions of dollars. But to Service Dogs Alabama, we saved somebody’s mother, somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, somebody’s friend, and somebody’s mentor. That is why we are so proud of our work in prisons.
Today, we have 52 incarcerated inmates who are dedicated to training dogs for Service Dogs Alabama. We are working to rehabilitate them through the consistency and efficacy of our program.
We believe everybody has a purpose. We are working to allow people to find their own strength.