SANTA ANA, Calif.—Incarcerated youth at Orange County Probation celebrated with a graduation of sorts Jan. 17, after training rescue dogs for nearly four months before handing the trained pets over to their new owners.
The program—operated by Cell Dogs, Inc. since 2008—started up again last October after being shut down for nearly three years due to the pandemic.
The nonprofit collaborates with the animal shelter OC Animal Care to provide dogs at risk of euthanasia a second chance.
Incarcerated youth train Rocky at Orange County Probation in Santa Ana, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023. (Courtesy of Cell Dogs)
Currently youth within the probation department and adult inmates at the Theo Lacy Facility—a county jail—can develop skills with the program including positive lifestyle changes, and empathy through hands-on-dog-training experience….