Homeless dogs and imprisoned women are working together to become more productive members of society. The program is called PAWS for Pets and Women Succeeding. Eight inmates at the state prison for women at Mitchellville have been trained in how to train dogs, everything from housebreaking to grooming. Tom Colvin is director of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa. The first of the animals to go to the lockup this week is a black Labrador named Lucy. Colvin says the inmates will be working with Lucy and the other dogs one-on-one on a variety of skills.Colvin says the six-to-eight weeks of training will make the animals more desirable for adoption while allowing the inmates to gain skills and do something valuable with their time. The Des Moines-based Animal Rescue League of Iowa served more than 100-thousand animals last year.
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