SOS PenPals is a unique partnership between “Save our Shelters” (SOS) and the VA Dept. of Corrections.
Through this award-winning program, dogs are trained and cared for by selected inmates at Virginia prisons and then adopted into loving homes.
Several hundred dogs from the Southside SPCA have participated in this win-win program and have graduated their training with honors! Upon graduating, dogs are crate trained, leash trained and responsive to voice commands and hand signals. Dogs also earn "Canine Good Citizenship" certificates from the American Kennel Club.
SOS Pen Pals also promotes rehabilitation and provides job skills to the inmate handlers, some of whom have become successful dog trainers upon their release from prison. The correctional centers benefit from an environment with less tension as well as improved communication between inmates and staff. For more information about SOS-Penpals, visit their website at www.sos-penpals.com.
