Dawgs In Prison

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DAWGS IN PRISON

Our mission is to provide training and education for both inmate and dog, resulting in permanent homes for the dogs, viable job skills for the inmate, and productive jobs and a law-abiding life upon release.

The St. Joseph Bay Humane Society is proud to announce its DAWGS in Prison program, a joint effort with Gulf Correctional Institution.
All of the dogs selected for this program go through an intense 8-week training session and live with their trainers, handlers and caretakers in a dormitory style work camp. All of these dogs have had an extensive temperament test and get along well with other dogs and people.

They are available for adoption immediately and will able to go to their forever homes with you after graduation.

The dogs are all crate trained, house trained, and basic obedience trained. They can be expected to sit, stay, recall, down, heel, and respond to no and leave it. The dogs are also well trained on a leash. Of course, they are up to date on all vaccines as well as spayed/neutered and heartworm negative.

If you live out of the area, we can transport these graduates to the perfect home almost anywhere up and down the eastern U.S.

The dogs featured on this website were trained for eight weeks at Gulf Forestry Camp under the direction of Gulf Correctional Institution in Wewahitchka, Florida by state inmates. These inmates were themselves trained by a professional dog trainer, in the hopes that they may find gainful employment in animal services when released from prison. Currently one of every three inmates released from the Florida prison system returns to prison within three years. Through programs like DAWGS, the Department of Corrections is focusing on teaching inmates viable job skills that will lead them to productive jobs and law-abiding lives upon release.

If you are not ready to adopt, please think about fostering. You can help these dogs keep up with their training and socialization which makes them more adoptable. For more information on fostering or adoption, or with any questions, please email us at or .

You can make a difference with your tax deductible donation to Dawgs in Prison. We are in need of new crates as well as our ongoing needs of treats, leashes, collars and toys.

$150 will buy a new crate.

$100 will spay/neuter a dog

$75 will supply treats for all the dogs for a month

$50 will pay for vaccines, medical supplies and medicine for a dog

$25 will pay for leashes and collars

Donations can be sent to:

SJBHS DAWGS in prison

1007 10th Street

Port St. Joe, FL 32456

To adopt one of our wonderful dogs, please fill out the application on this website.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Sandi Christy and the DAWGS team: Judy Miick, Melody Townsend, and Gary and Sue Gibbs

"When you adopt a dog, the whole experience is fraught with delightful unpredictability. Very little is certain--except, of course, that you will be giving him a better life. And he will be doing the same for you."