BARK Behind Bars – A Correctional Companions Program
About BARK Behind Bars
We are proud to partner with the Lawrenceville Correctional Center in Lawrenceville, Virginia, Haynesville Correctional Center in Haynesville, VA, and Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham, VA, Goochland Women’s Correctional Center and Nottoway Women’s Correctional Center for the BARK Behind Bars Correctional Companions Program. The BARK Behind Bars Program changes the lives of dogs and people. As a dog lover, you know first hand the effect a dog can have on a human’s physical, emotional and mental state. Working with BARK dogs gives prison inmates the opportunity for therapeutic rehabilitation while learning to love unconditionally. The dogs learn skills and behaviors that will help them find and remain in a forever home. It’s truly a second chance for all involved.
How the Program Works
Inmates are selected on the basis of their behavior while serving their sentences and their demonstrated desire to participate in the program. The dogs are selected for the program based on temperament, personality and who might greatly benefit from the daily individualized socialization, attention and affection.
Under the supervision of correctional staff members, inmates train and socialize the dogs in their care and maintain diaries on the dog’s progress.
TRAINING PROGRAM
What Do the Dogs Learn?
Dogs that graduate from the BARK Behind Bars program come to their forever home with valuable skills and training. Each dog is house trained, crate trained, taught basic obedience commands such as sit, stay, come, lay down and speak, and tricks such as roll over, bang! dead dog, pray, right paw & left paw. Just as important, they learn that humans are friends they can count on for leadership and love. Please check out the videos below for more information!
Program Update/Who are our Correctional Companions Dogs available for adoption?
Dogs with “Graduate” after their name on the website are recent graduates of the prison training program. Dogs with “Trainee” after their name on the website are currently enrolled in the program.
Would you like to Adopt a Correctional Companions Dog?
Each Correctional Companions dog needs a forever home to go to after graduation.
At this time, we are not accepting any applications at the moment, but we would like to recommend other websites that are offering the service:
