Program areas at PBB
Raising service dogs in prision and pairing them with wounded veterans, first responders and facility dogs for police departments:pbb trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, and facility dogs for police departments in four correctional facilities in new york state. The dogs learn more than 70 commands to help their partners with daily tasks and to mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. Pbb then pairs the dogs, free of charge, with wounded veterans and first responders. The recipients receive intensive training on how to use their dogs, and pbb then provides extensive follow-up services. To date, more than 170 dogs have been placed with veterans and first responders through the program. Not only do the recipients themselves benefit, but their entire families and their communities benefit as the recipients find relief from anxiety and panic attacks, learn to reenter society, and can return to work and/or school. Some dogs serve police departments as a whole, enhancing officer wellness and aiding in community outreach. At any given time approximately 125 incarcerated individuals are training approximately 60 dogs for ths purpose. The Puppies enter prison at the age of 8 weeks and remain with their incarcerated puppy-raisers for the next two years. Full-time professional instructors teach the puppy-raisers for a full day each week and monitor the progress of the Puppies' training. More thank 250 volunteers work to socialize the Puppies to experiences outside of prison.
Employment of formerly incarcerated individuals:incarcerated puppy-raisers in our program become expert dog trainers and gain interpersonal skills as well. They must work as part of a team to solve problems, attend rigorous weekly classes, do written homework assignments, and maintain a daily journal of their puppies'progress. Their literacy and communication skills are enhanced, and they benefit from the unconditional love provided by the dogs as well. Rather than biding their time while incarcerated, the pbb program allows them to make a contribution to society that is a source of pride and self-confidence. Many are hired for dog-related jobs after parole. Pbb currently employs five formerly incarcerated puppy-raisers as part of its full-time staff. Three work as instructors teaching currently incarcerated individuals by their example what can be accomplished with hard work and dedication after incarceration. One is also director of our service dog program for wounded veterans and first responders, and one is our director of volunteers. A fourth staff member is director of socialization for our young Puppies. A fifth staff member is the director of dog socialization.
Raising explosive-detection canines in prison:pbb raises explosive-detection canines (edcs) for work with law enforcement in two prisons in new york. An average of 40 incarcerated individuals take part in our program, raising 15 to 20 dogs at any given time. The training process takes approximately 10 months, and between 16 and 20 of these dogs graduate each year. Our edcs have gone to work to detect explosives or accelerants across the united states. The Massachusetts state police, westchester county police department, and atf are just a few of the agencies that use our dogs. They screen courthouses and other government buildings, check stadiums before ball games, and help solve arson cases and provide many other services to the general public.