July 24, 2012 — Friday, July 6 was a great day for dogs and the people who love them. The day will go down in history as the day the Pups on Parole (POP) program adopted out its 300th dog.

Since 2007, POP has been rescuing canines scheduled for euthanization — dogs with no hope of being adopted due to no fault of their own — and giving them new life in the hands of inmates housed in the California Correctional Center (CCC) firehouse under the supervision of Garth Renaud, CCC hazardous material specialist.

“When the program started five years ago, I thought a goal of one adoptiona week would be impossible to reach,” said Mary Morphis, Lassen Humane Society (LHS) president, “were doing that and more now.”

When Morphis sees potential in a rescue dog at the Lassen County Animal Shelter (LCAS), she selects them for the POP program where they get one-on-one training and attention from inmates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although the dogs come to the prison with undesirable issues, such as anxiety and malnourishment, when they leave they are adoptable, well-mannered pups.

The program benefits the inmates as well because they have something positive in their lives that doesn’t judge them on their past mistakes. And it’s good for the dogs because they are guaranteed a good companion. One happy new dog owner described the program as therapy that goes both ways.

The POP program is a joint effort between LHS, CCC and LCAS, which originally receives the dogs chosen for the program. Seven dogs can be in the program at one time and when one of them is adopted another rescue dog is brought in. Dogs from Lassen County have gone to live in homes in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

“Five years of rescuing, spaying/neutering, training and adopting out stray or unwanted dogs from Lassen County to loving homes all over the Western United States has made such a positive impact in the lives of so many,” said Morphis.

According to Morphis, the community has rallied around all of the lost and abandoned animals of Lassen County and given tremendous support to the POP program. She said none of the program’s success would be possible without the help of local veterinarians, numerous volunteers, support from the county of Lassen, LCAS, CCC, the Lassen County Times and many others.

For more information about the POP program, call LHS at 257-4555 or email lassenhumanesociety@yahoo.com. To view available dogs, visit petfinder.com.