Rehabilitation with man’s best friend

The Hills Gazette community newspaper has featured a story on Acacia Prison's new partnership with the Dogs’ Refuge Home in Shenton Park.

Offenders involved in the program are carefully selected and will be educated in canine care and obedience training by a dog training specialist. The dogs, often abandoned or abused, will benefit from receiving full time care to assist with their rehabilitation and behavioural training and make them more likely to be adopted into a permanent home.

The outlet said that results from the program 'show positive relationships between prisoners, as well as between prisoners and staff.'

In addition to providing an opportunity for offenders to give back to the community in a positive way, participants also gain 'literacy and numeracy skills through reporting and documentation work about the homeless pets,' the outlet said.