Raising Guide Dog Puppies in Prison


Japan’s first animal program in a prison started in 2009 at the Shimane Asahi Rehabilitation Program Center, located in a small farming community in Western Japan.
There, the inmates raise guide dog puppies until they reach 1 year of age. When the inmates fulfill their responsibilities and send their puppies safely back to the training school, they gain a great sense of accomplishment rather than suffer the sadness of saying goodbye. The program also offers them an opportunity to give back to society, as well as giving them something precious to care for. I’ve been involved with this program as a consultant for many years, and am very proud of their progress.

Iwanami Shoten Publishers, 2015 Yen 840 (Japanese and Korean)

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