The Charles Lafitte Foundation (CLF) has been working with Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) since 2005.
Over the past twelve years, CLF has sponsored three exceptional service dogs through the PBB program.
Puppies Behind Bars trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. Puppies enter prison at the age of eight weeks and live with their inmate puppy-raisers for approximately 24 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it. PBB programs bring the love and healing of dogs to hundreds of individuals every year. The dogs bring hope and pride to their raisers, and independence and security to those they serve.
CLF founders, Jeff and Suzanne Citron, share a love of dogs with PPB and understand the great impact that dogs can have on those around them. PBB dogs change the lives of prison inmates who have built walls around their emotions in order to survive in prison. These dogs also change the lives of law enforcement agents who are looking for hidden explosives and know that the noses on their canine companions are the surest ways to find something. They also change the lives of wounded war veterans for whom, in many cases, war has come to feel normal while being home has felt very scary.
CLF has sponsored three exceptional dogs through PBB – Bailey, Maggie and our current sponsor, Rosie.
Each dog has been named after a beloved dog of the Citron family. Bailey is happily living with an adopted family after experiencing medical problems. Maggie, our second PBB dog, is currently working as a successful explosive-detection canine in Virginia.
We are excited to share ongoing news of Rosie, our current sponsored dog as she works through her training program at Otisville Correctional Facility in Orange County, NY. Rosie was born in January 2017 and is currently being trained to one day serve as a service dog to a wounded veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To read more about Rosie and keep updated on her progress, visit our current news section here or follow us on social media!
To learn more about Puppies Behind Bars, visit www.puppiesbehindbars.com.