Puppies Behind Bars Helps to train dogs who will be given to returning War Veterans in order to help them function on a daily basis. In 2006, Puppies Behind Bars began raising service dogs for the disabled with the help of prison inmates. In addition to basic obedience, manners, and socialization, inmate puppy raisers are responsible for teaching the pups almost eighty commands. Once the pups reach eighteen months of age, they are tested to determine their suitability for formal training by PBB. When a puppy is matched with a disabled individual, final training continues specific to the client’s needs.
In February 2008, the first Dog Tags (dogs for veterans with PTSD) pup, Pax, was paired with Sergeant Bill Campbell, an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD, a life-altering condition that is characterized by panic attacks, severe depression, memory loss, nightmares and fear of public places. Pax has been trained to remind Bill to take his daily medications and alert him of approaching strangers, always “watching his back.” When Pax lies at Bill’s side, he will sit up if someone approaches, thus lessening Bill’s fear of being in public spaces such as a grocery store or a movie theater. Additionally, Pax responds to the command, “Block,” which Bill uses when he wants Pax to stand in between him and an approaching individual.
