Episode 137 - Bad Boys and Good Boys - Why Prisoners Train Service Dogs

Criminals raising service dogs for war veterans - it’s a story of redemption on all sides. But is it a moral story?

The incarceration rates of people in poverty far exceed that of middle or high income earners. Both prison population statistics and outside studies support this. Meanwhile, the men and women who choose to serve in the military have historically come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. This was never more evident than when the Vietnam draft was enacted, and young men in college were allowed to stay in school while poor teens were forced to the front lines.

On today’s episode we pose the following question: Is it fair of America to ask its impoverished citizens in prison to comfort its impoverished citizens returning from war, by raising PTSD dogs for them?

odd and Joe also talk about the severity of prisoner crimes, and who should be allowed to raise puppies instead of doing hard labor. Joe shares stories of volunteering at the local women’s prison, where the vast majority of incarcerations were for drug crimes. Drug crimes involving substances that were either legalized during their lockup (weed) or for drugs that were given to them by doctors during the opioid free-for-all that plagued Oregon.

Finally, we get into the nitty-gritty of service dog raising. What happens to the dogs who can’t make the cut and wash out of training? How much would it cost to buy a service dog without insurance? And how long does it take to turn one of these ‘good boys’ into a great companion?

Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRu-8XC5VUE&ab_channel=RealStories

https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2022/06/29/43674879/oregon-needs-to-make-legislative-changes-to-tackle-its-opioid-misuse-audit-finds

https://www.boston.com/culture/animals/2014/11/15/what-happens-to-service-dogs-that-dont-complete-their-training/

https://www.integrityinc.org/how-much-does-it-cost-to-get-a-service-dog/

https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=soc

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/us/military-enlistment.html