Puppies for Parole program a win-win

Sure, those little furry canines are cute.

But the Puppies for Parole program isn't just about the animals.

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri is working with the maximum-security correctional facility in Potosi, Mo., to have canines enter people prisons to be trained. The hope is prisoners, many of them violent, can help train the dogs over a period of time so the dogs can be adopted.

The dogs are more "adoptable" if they are well-trained. Some of the dogs may even go on to help disabled people.

But the secondary benefit is the prisoners who are assigned to work and train with the dogs are learning, too. By working with the dogs, prisoners can learn more patience and connect in a positive way to the dogs. This can soften hard hearts as well as make the prisons safer places to be.

The dogs will live with their incarcerated handlers, Southeast Missourian reporter Emily Priddy wrote, 24 hours a day, every day for the duration of the program.

The puppies program requires a team of volunteers with different entities. This program appears to provide positives all the way around. Thanks to all involved with the program.