View source for Oregon Department of Corrections Dog Training Programs - Incarcerated Adult and Youth Support Services and Programs

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|Group=Community And Other Support Services
|Category=Incarcerated Adult and Youth Support Services and Programs
|Name=Oregon Department of Corrections Dog Training Programs
|Description=Many of Oregon Department of Corrections’ (DOC) 14 institutions have dog training programs. DOC partners with local organizations to house, raise, and train puppies and dogs–sometime to give them a better chance at adoption, and sometimes to prepare the dogs for work as assistance animals. At Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF), the prison partners with Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) to train puppies who will then provide independence to a person with a disability. These dog programs not only benefit the puppies, but the adults in custody (AICs) who work with the animals. In the case of CCCF, AICs train the puppies onsite for approximately 18 months before they move on to more expanded training.


Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution (EOCI) Joys of Living Assistance Dogs (JLAD) Service Dog Program started in 2016. Approximately 70 percent of the dogs graduate from the program. Only 16 dogs are trained at any given time, as the dogs are rotated in and out every week. At the start of the program, 36 commands were being used to teach the dogs. Today, there are over 90 commands used. In addition, some dogs are trained in advanced tasks specific to a recipient’s disabilities – for example, dogs are trained to assist with anxiety, PTSD, and Parkinson’s Disease just to name a few. The average time it takes to train a dog as a service animal is two years. At EOCI, a dog can be trained in just over a year, cutting the time in half.

EOCI hosts Passing of the Leash and JLAD graduation ceremonies where the adult in custody (AIC) presents the dog they worked hard to train to the new recipient. During the ceremony, AICs receive a certificate for the training they have completed.
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