Pawsitive Partners Prison Program

Photo provided by
Monty's Home

In Episode 25, the focus is on the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program, which is operated under the umbrella of Monty's Home. This North Carolina-based organization was inspired into being by the love and generous spirit of Monty, a dearly loved therapy dog and canine star who brought sunshine into the lives of many.

This precious golden retriever spent hours each week visiting nursing homes and hospitals in southeastern North Carolina and his remarkable ability to stir up joy in human hearts eventually brought him to the attention of the nation. After he succumbed to cancer, the love of his human companion, Barb Raab, led her to create an organization in his memory and today, through Monty's Home, sunshine continues to be shed on dogs and human beings through efforts like the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program.

In this episode, I chat with Barb who explains the process involved in selecting dogs from kill shelters to undergo training in preparation for adoption into permanent homes. We hear how, after undergoing temperament evaluations, heartworm testing, spaying/neutering, microchipping and vaccinations, each new "class" of dogs moves into the Pender Correctional Institution in Burgaw where they are trained by specially-screened inmates over a period of eight weeks. Upon graduation, the dogs go home to their adoptive families.

Goodbye Hug. Photo provided
by Monty's Home.

Nearly 100 dogs have been successfully placed in loving homes and preliminary nationwide studies are suggesting that the recidivism rate of inmates participating in programs of this type is significantly reduced. Pawsitive Partners is credited with not only saving the lives of canines but saving the lives of humans as well.

The episode begins with Barb's recounting of life with Monty and moves on through some of the high points and most memorable moments that Barb, program volunteers, dogs and inmates have experienced through Pawsitive Partners over the years.