Gwinnett County's canine incarceration rate is about to double.
And that's a good thing.
Since 2010, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway has run "Operation Second Chance," a project that embeds dogs rescued from local shelters with inmates at his jail. The goal is for the inmates to train the dogs and make them more suitable for adoption -- all while learning a little about responsibility and discipline themselves. To date, the program has rescued more than 300 dogs -- and it hopes to do more.
The sheriff's office announced this week that it plans to launch a second jail dogs unit in the near future.
From the press release:
"The catalyst for expansion of the rescue program was feedback from Gwinnett County citizens, who encouraged Sheriff Conway to grow the program. ... The feedback we receive about it, combined with the tremendous support from the public, made it clear that we could do even more to rescue unwanted dogs and cats in Gwinnett County. Sheriff Conway credits the many volunteers and donors for the program's success."
No specific timeframe was given for the expansion. The program is run with donations and volunteers, not tax dollars, sheriff's officials were quick to point out.
To learn more about Operation Second Chance, visit jaildogs.org or the "Gwinnett Jail Dogs Program" Facebook page.
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