Meela is a border collie that needed a second chance. Her severe behavioral problems made her un-adoptable. A second chance came by spending some time in jail. Meela spent months living with and being trained by an Idaho prisoner.
The Inmate Dog Alliance Project of Idaho (I.D.A.P.I.) is a partnership between the Idaho Humane Society, Idaho Correctional Center, and the Idaho Correctional Institutions. Through this program dogs that are in need of training and socialization spend time being trained by prisoners so that they can become adoptable.
For Meela this program gave her a chance at a better life. She now lives with her new family the Andersons. She now sits, fetches and does several tricks. She is well-mannered and behaved. All of it is thanks to an inmate that the Andersons will never know.
For several months Meela lived with and was trained by an Idaho prisoner.
“The dogs are kept with prisoners for about 2 to 3 months,” said Sue Anderson. “They live right in the cell with them.”
The program is beneficial for both the dogs and the inmates. Without proper training dogs like Meela would never be adopted. In many cases they would end up being euthanized. The inmates get to give back to the community by training the dogs and learn a lot in the process.
“I think it’s a second chance,” said Anderson. “For both the dogs and the inmates.”
