Death Row Dogs and Dogs2Vets - graduation and launch day

Wounds come in many shapes and sizes. Some are disfiguring on the outside. Some are disfiguring on the inside, where no one can see.  These are the wounds hardest to treat.  Soldiers coming home with post traumatic stress syndrome, brain injuries, and other “invisible wounds” often feel there is no help.  In a small beginning, wounded veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars are getting help from an unexpected place:– the Green River Correctional Complex or GRCC in Central City, Kentucky.

A new program builds on the dog rescue program at GRCC that started in 2004 as a partnership between the facility and Jack’s Place Animal Rescue. The rescue program called “Death Row Dogs” pairs a dog with an inmate trainer for a twelve week training program. The dog must pass an American Kennel Club Good Citizenship Certification test to become eligible for adoption. To date, Death Row Dogs has 564 canine graduates.

Warden Randy White, an Army National Guard veteran, challenged the program to find a way to help wounded soldiers in a therapeutic setting. 

Serendipitously, Sgt. Debra Lamere, a member of the 101st Airborne and an Afghanistan veteran, assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Ft. Campbell, came into the picture to provide the missing link between Death Row Dogs and wounded warriors.  She launched a program called Dogs2Vets. Lamere has her own canine friend, Desiree, her adopted pal, shown at left.

Photos and information for this story were provided by Todd Henson, Public Information Officer, Department of Corrections.

To make a donation to Dogs2Vets, go to www.dogs2vets.com  

To assist with Jack's no kill shelter, see www.jacksplace.petfinder.com and more on Death Row Dogs at www.deathrowdogs.petfinder.com