Partnership with Faribault Correctional Facility Resumes

On Thursday, March 14, Can Do Canines transported two assistance dogs in training, Crombie and Penny, to their temporary home at the Faribault Correctional Facility. A pair of selected inmate handlers will live with and provide 24/7 care to each of these two 1-year-old black Labrador Retrievers. Additionally, a Can Do Canines staff member will make weekly visits to the facility, providing training instruction to the inmate handlers, who will help the dogs learn obedience skills and basic assistance dog skills.

Can Do Canines currently partners with seven other prisons in Minnesota and Wisconsin: Duluth, Rochester, Sandstone, and Waseca, Minn., and Black River Falls, Chippewa Falls, Stanley, Wis.

Making Faribault Correctional Facility the eighth current prison partner has special meaning for Can Do Canines, as this prison was the organization’s first prison partner in 2005. For 11 years, dozens of assistance dogs passed through this program. Can Do Canines Director of Training Julianne Larsen says, “We’re excited to be resuming this partnership with Faribault. The exceptional care and training our dogs get in prison sets them up for the success they will bring to their clients.”

The dogs are not the only ones who benefit from this unique partnership. Numerous inmates have shared that this experience has changed their lives, helping them become more responsible and compassionate and giving them a clearer sense of purpose.

After spending time in Faribault, the dogs will return to the Twin Cities, where they will be placed in a volunteer’s home before entering their final training period at the Can Do Canines facility.

View a video of this story that was featured on the KARE 11 10 p.m. newscast.