Prison Trained K-9 Companion Program - Canon City Pet Shelter

The Colorado Correctional Industries (CCi), Prison Trained K-9 Companion Program (PTKCP) started in 2002 as a perfect marriage of ideas - saving humans through saving dogs. This program allows offenders to learn new skills, improve self-esteem, and earn a salary that is based on their work performance. Offenders from the PTKCP are eligible to earn vocational certification in Canine Behavior Modification that opens up opportunity for future success. The dogs selected for the program come from shelters and rescues as well as private individuals who can no longer keep their pets and are often desperate for options beyond abandonment or surrender to an animal shelter. Bringing these dogs and offenders together creates endless and positive benefits. The dogs get a new 'leash on life' and the offenders that learn to train the dogs develop compassion and the capacity to think of and do for others. Dogs graduating from this program are wonderfully trained family pets and many move on to become very sophisticated assistance dogs which perform a variety of tasks for their human partners. The PTKCP is not supported by Colorado tax dollars. We are one of the 50 cost centers that make up CCi's entire division, which are required by legislation to be financially self–sustaining enterprises. We are supported solely by the fees we collect for adoption, board–in, and alumni training we provide. Expenditures required to operate the PTKCP include transportation costs, fees we must pay to procure a newly adopted dog from a shelter, all standard veterinary care including spay/neutering, daily dog maintenance, and the daily obedience training compensation we pay offender handlers for transforming each dog into a desirable pet. When you choose to adopt a dog from the PTKCP, place your own dog in our Boarding–In and Training Program, or purchase products for sale on our site, you are supporting so much more than you can see. You are changing lives (for both dog and offender), and improving the communities that we all share.

  • Shelter Address

  • Canon City, CO
  • Phone
  • (719) 269-4650
  • Contact Name
  • Website
  • http://www.coloradocelldogs.com/
  • Pet types
  • Dogs
  • Location served

Adoption Process

Adopting a dog from the Prison Trained K9 Companion Program (PTKCP) is a special privilege because your dog comes fully trained with a lifetime of support. It takes a special commitment to insure that the investment you make in your new companion is maintained. Our wonderfully trained dogs are in high demand so please be patient and understand many have waiting lists. Our process is designed to insure the best possible match of a dog with the specific situation in the adoptive home. 1. Adopters begin by completing the Adoption Application to indicate acceptance of the terms and conditions for adopting a dog from our program. An application DOES NOT guarantee the adoption of a specific dog. 2. Adopters may contact the office with up to 2 dogs available on the website for consideration. 3. PTKCP instructors will review applications and interview adopters by phone to answer specific questions and determine if the dog(s) selected are the best fit for the home. 4. Please be aware that PTKCP reserves the right to refuse placement of an animal at their sole discretion. 5. Interviews to meet up to 2 dogs will be set up at either Denver Women's Correctional Facility or in Cañon City at the PTKCP training building next to the International Correctional Management Training Center, depending on where the specific canine candidate(s) are in training. Once your location/interview is scheduled and the special day arrives to meet your candidate(s), please be prepared with your payment in full (cashier's check or money orders only, please. We do have the ability to accept Visa or Mastercard payments on the same day. NO CASH!). Our adoptable dogs receive a minimum of eight weeks of training, so if your dog has completed all their training we'd love for them to "parole" out to your home right away to provide a space for another dog in need. Plan to stay and attend our Go Home Class (required) with your dog and our professional instructors/handlers, who will provide you with hands on demonstration and instruction of your dog's training. Each Go Home Class lasts about an hour and a half and will insure that your dog's transition into your home is successful. If you need to make preparations for your new canine companion, we are happy to hold them after your interview for up to one week with a 50% deposit. After seven days, we will add an additional $200 per week for boarding.

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