Changing Lives Campaign

TAILS (Teaching Animals & Inmates Life Skills) is a collaborative effort bringing together prison inmates and hard-to-adopt shelter dogs. This is one of the largest programs of its kind in the country and fully implemented and funded by Pit Sisters.

Through partnerships with animal shelters and county, state and federal correctional facilities, Pit Sisters places dogs with inmates to be trained, socialized and cared for so they have a chance of finding a new forever loving home.

Pit Sisters assesses dogs at the shelters to find those exhibiting behavioral issues – mostly stemming from cruelty cases – and at high risk of euthanasia. Pit Sisters administers certified dog training classes for all inmates in the program. At the end of 8 to 12 weeks, the dog and inmate trainers undergo training testing and participate in a graduation ceremony. 

With your support, TAILS changes the lives of dogs, trainers, families, prison staff and entire communities. Animals are saved and homed, while inmates learn teamwork, empathy and a new skill.

Pit Sisters works with local shelters to identify hard-to-adopt shelter dogs. Most of the dogs who are accepted into the program have severe behavior problems stemming from cruelty cases. Pit Sisters transports the dog to correctional facilities participating in the TAILS program.

Pit Sisters works with correctional facilities to administer comprehensive certified dog training classes to inmates selected to be part of the TAILS program. The training includes a dog training manual, in-person and hands-on classes and ongoing supervisory training. Once trained, inmates are matched with dogs and the inmates train the dogs for 8-12 weeks. 

At the end of the 8-12 weeks, Pit Sisters certified trainers administers final exams for the dogs and inmates alike. The dog must pass behavior assessment tests; inmates must pass dog training tests. After successfully passing the exams, the dog and inmate together participate in graduation ceremonies. The inmate may earn advanced degrees with continued dog training classes and learning advanced skills.

After 8-12 weeks of comprehensive training, the dog is put up for adoption. No animal ever returns to the high-kill shelter from which they came. Many of the new families opt to attend the graduation ceremonies and meet with the inmate who trained their new furry friend. 

Pit Sisters have always dedicated themselves to "giving a voice" to the most misunderstood dogs. They have done this by providing love and homes to harder-to-adopt dogs in need. The mission has expanded to be more proactive and innovative with efforts focused on the following programs — Mobile Training, Community Engagement & Involvement and the largest program is called, TAILS (Teaching Animals & Inmates Life Skills). 

www.pitsisters.org/tails/

www.facebook.com/pitsisterstails/

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