Project Rise

Project Rise, which is aimed at providing both a second chance for shelter dogs and a powerful path to rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals at the Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility. This innovative program, run by my dog training business, Work Dog Work, pairs level four inmates with shelter dogs in need of training and adoption.

Through this partnership, inmates learn valuable life skills, including patience, responsibility, and discipline, while working closely with dogs from Dawgship, a nonprofit animal shelter in Deming, New Mexico. The dogs, in turn, are taught working dog obedience, improving their chances of being adopted into loving homes. By participating in Project Rise, inmates not only learn how to train dogs but are also instilled with a sense of purpose and accomplishment—skills that will serve them upon their release and throughout their lives.