Most Americans enjoy the fireworks displays that light up the skies every 4th of July – but dogs generally aren’t as thrilled, especially shelter pups living in crowded kennels.
Over the years, more and more animal shelters have recruited community volunteers to comfort their shelter dogs during Independence Day firework shows, but one Florida police department has found the perfect team of helpers to look after anxious pups.
Spending time with canines has been shown to be particularly therapeutic for inmates – and that’s why the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office of Florida recently announced that they would be employing a team of inmates to comfort the dogs at the local Animal Care Center on Independence Day.
Throughout the holiday, the inmates will be snuggling, comforting, offering treats, and reading to the dogs to keep them calm.
The department’s Sheriff Wayne Ivey made the announcement on Facebook after he received several calls from concerned community members about the wellbeing of the shelter animals in anticipation of the holiday.
“While we greatly appreciate the offer of assistance and truly love the fact that our community partners with us to help our homeless pets, our agency has designed a new program that will not only help our dogs, but will also help add purpose to the lives of inmates incarcerated at the Brevard County Jail,” wrote the sheriff.
“Our goal is to not only help calm the dogs but also to help build and instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once the have served their time,” he continued.
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Love this idea! I hope it went well over the Fourth.