Marion County Animal Services has dropped off its newest class of shelter dogs for two months of obedience training at the Marion Correctional Institution as part of the Florida Inmates & Dog Obedience (FIDO) Project.
The newest FIDO Project class, the Campfire Tails, consists of 10-month-old Twig (female), 8-month-old Ember (female), 3-year-old Scout (female), 1-year-old Dewey (male), and 2-year-old Fleece (female).
During the program, these shelter dogs will be trained by select inmates on the basics of obedience, along with other useful skills that will make the dogs more adoptable.
“Our dogs will learn basic obedience skills and the men will learn skills that they can carry with them for life and share with their families. Every human that learns how to positively communicate with man’s best friend is richer for it – or at least that’s how we feel,” states Animal Services.
In a social media post, Animal Services shared several photos of the participating inmates as they greeted the shelter dogs.
According to Animal Services, two outings will be held over the next couple of months in an effort to introduce the dogs to the public. Adopters will be chosen before the end of the training period, and they will attend Graduation Day at the prison to take their new dogs home following the event.
The first public meet-and-greet event is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 18 at Mr. Mochas Pet Supplies, which is located at 11761 U.S.-441 in Belleview.
Animal Services is currently accepting supply donations for the FIDO Project. Those wishing to support the program can visit the FIDO Project wish list on Amazon.
To learn more about the FIDO Project, or to adopt one of the dogs, visit the Marion County Animal Services FIDO Project webpage.