There is no limit to the number of stories that can be submitted on our behalf, in fact, the nonprofit with the most stories submitted can also win a prize. Not to worry if you don't think you are an accomplished writer - if you want our input, just send your story draft as an attachment in a Word document to Adoptions@PawsInPrison.com and we will help edit your story, but you must be the one to write your love story and submit it to the Petco Foundation through their online submission portal.

The first step is to go online and set up an account by clicking HERE. Let us know if you have any issues submitting your story.

Management Training Corporation (MTC) has been operating in the Lockhart Correctional Facility since 2015 under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). Last October MTC acknowledged the work we have been doing in their October 2020 publication written by one of our own special Lockhart Ladies.

We are waiting for the go-ahead from TDCJ to continue our life-saving work with our physical presence inside the Lockhart prison. In spite of Covid restrictions, MTC has graciously allowed us to bring a few dogs in/out with the help of prison staff. We are anxiously waiting for the day when we can begin to maximize our program and implement some of the 2021 goals we discussed in our January newsletter. Recently faith-based volunteer organizations have been allowed back inside the prison with Covid-19 precautions. We are hopeful we will be next - and we have lots of faith too!

Currently, there are 5 dogs available for adoption with 3 more under evaluation.

There are some very artistic ladies in the Lockhart Correctional Facility Dog Dorm. They have given us permission to use their art renditions of Paws in Prison dogs who were adopted over the years on greeting cards that are now for sale for the first time! We offer packs of 10 different postcard style greeting cards featuring various prison dogs along with envelopes that you can now purchase for $15, not including tax or shipping costs. We are also offering Paws in Prison merchandise items as "thank you" gifts for various donation levels. You can check it all out on our Merchandise website page.

Are you ready for something fun to do collectively either from your home or with a small group of friends? We need your help on Saturday, April 10 from 2-5 pm CST for a virtual scavenger hunt. REGISTER for the Black team in Austin.

It is critical that we have small groups together (7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2) but we also need people to do individual tasks. Can you or your team answer trivia questions? Can someone do fast food and bar runs to scavenge for items? There will be over 250 tasks we are assigned to accomplish. First place wins $3,000 for the organization that completes the most tasks. Registration is $25 per person.

All participants must be 21 years or older. If you signed up earlier, you will get a black t-shirt for our team or pin the R4R logo to your own t-shirt then film or video yourself wearing the printed logo, ideally pinned to a black shirt (our team color), to get the points for the task.

Please CHECK OUT THIS LINK and look for the activities of what odd thing you have around your house that can help! Sign up, spread the word, and help us save more than dogs while having a much-needed good time! You can sign up for more than one task! We have 3 hours to complete tasks and let's try to complete them all!

I found out about Paws in Prison at Austin Pet Expo which is where I started my active search for a new dog. I decided my life would be richer with a new pet companion. The first step was going to the Lockhart facility to meet some of the dogs featured on the website. The lady that started the program was a vivacious woman, an animal lover, and a people person. She showed my husband and me six dogs and, with some difficulty, we were able to narrow our adoption preferences down to two.

One of the dogs had been there eight weeks and had just completed the minimum requirements for training. The other dog had only been there three days, but he showed lots of promise. We met the dogs and now it was our time to be evaluated. A visit was made to our home and we passed with flying colors! With the program manager’s intuitive guidance, we decided to pick Dusty.

September 27th, 2013 was the day we got to bring Dusty home. We had to be patted

down as part of security measures and then we were admitted into the visitation room.

The two women inmates and the program manager were there for Dusty’s release. He

was about five years old and no one knows what breed mixture he was but he looked bigger and more handsome than when I first met him. He had been shaved down to the skin when he was first rescued because his coat was covered in stickers and burrs. That day he walked out into the visitation room with his grown out soft, blond coat and came up to greet us immediately. Of course, there was paperwork to complete, but that was such a minor detail in the scheme of things.

His main trainer read us an introduction letter she wrote about Dusty. She wrote such things like: “Dusty is a morning dog. He begins each day stretching really good. He has an outstanding personality. When you want his attention and say his name, he sits up like a little gentleman.” She then called Dusty to sit at attention so she could demonstrate what he had learned to do while under her 24/7 care. Dusty showed how he could sit, lie down, come, stop, wait, roll over, give a high five, shake, and settle. Believe it or not, he could even read cue cards! After this demonstration, she read us something she wrote that was published in the correctional newspaper. She described the storms she had encountered in her life before being incarcerated. She wrote how she lost everything as a result of addiction. She became estranged from her children and the rest of her family. She lost her home, her car, her job, and had no friends. The calm finally came when she started working as an animal caretaker and trainer for the Paws in Prison program. At the end of her memoir, she wrote: “ My calm came in the form of Dusty. I have learned humility, compassion, and hope as I have cared for this dog. Guess what? I saw a rainbow today as I was taking Dusty for a walk."

One of my favorite bumper stickers has a big paw print on it with the question, "who rescued who?" From now on I will be reminded of this remarkable woman whenever I encounter this profound message.

Dana K., a 2013 Adopter

A HUGE thank you!