Our Services

Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide a prison-pet partnership program that will help people with disabilities, create goal oriented programs for inmates, and care for unwanted dogs.

Great teams accomplish great things! Remember Sonny and Cher? Ben and Jerry? Roy Rogers and Trigger? The Second Chance Prison Canine Program pairs prisoner-trained service dogs with people who need them, which makes for a great life team!

We at Second Chance have made a lifelong commitment to these once abandoned dogs, and we take great care in placing our dogs in homes where they will receive the care and love they need in return for their service work. The Dog/Recipient working group is responsible for putting these teams together. This pairing process involves multiple steps, the first of which is to locate recipients. Potential recipients for our service dogs have come to us through the Second Chance website, e-mail, media coverage of our program, word of mouth, and community activities in which Second Chance participates.

Once a potential recipient contacts us, he or she is sent a Potential Applicant letter outlining how our selection process works and emphasizing the responsibilities involved with caring for a service dog. Armed with this new knowledge, potential recipients can make an informed decision about whether or not to proceed. Those who decide to continue the application process complete an adoption application.

When potential recipients meet Second Chance requirements, the volunteer placement team arranges a home visit to evaluate the home environment. Together we discuss their needs and expectations of a service dog. Not only are we trying to match the human with the dog, but the dog with the human. Our dogs are trained to work with people with physical handicaps, and each person has different needs and each dog excels at specific tasks. It is vital to have a good fit for this new "team."

The next step is team training for the new partners, during which the recipient bonds with the service dog and establishes a lasting relationship. Second Chance is dedicated to helping the recipient and service dog maintain a successful working relationship throughout their lives together, and ongoing training and follow-up are part of our program.

The selection and pairing process has been a challenge and a great learning process for us all. It can be frustrating at times, but the results have been most rewarding. To see the person and the dog working together has left a smile on our hearts.