Exciting things are in the works with Pixie's Pen Pals! Partnering with the Virginia
Department of Corrections, FETCH A Cure’s Pixie’s Pen Pals places homeless dogs from local animal
shelters in the care of men and women incarcerated at Virginia correctional centers.
With the guidance of professional trainers specializing in canine behavior, inmates in the Pen Pals
program serve as “Handlers” to train, socialize, and provide around-the-clock care for rescue dogs in
preparation for adoption — all from within the prison.
On a hiatus since the beginning of COVID, the Pen Pals team has been working hard behind the scenes
to get the program back up and running. After months of weekly training, the handlers at Beaumont
Correctional Center will welcome their first canine, Zara, this Wednesday!
A special thank you to our friends at Goochland County Animal Shelter and Adoption
Center and Goochland Pet Lovers, who gave Zara incredible care as a shelter resident and nominated
her for the program.
The Pixie’s Pen Pals program helps reduce overcrowding and euthanasia rates in Virginia’s shelters. But
Pen Pals helps people as much as pups by supporting the welfare of people serving sentences in
prison. By working cooperatively to help the animals, Handlers learn and exercise skills and techniques
that are useful both professionally and in life, such as effective communication, patience, and
confidence.
Ultimately, the skills learned and responsibilities assigned to the Handlers can help prepare a person for
life outside prison. After their release, some Pen Pals Handlers go on to work with animals… Some even
becoming professional dog trainers themselves! Most importantly, the opportunity to bond with a
canine companion imparts countless benefits to mental health and overall well-being for both the
Handler and dog. Each time a dog graduates the program to go to her forever home, her Handler feels a
sense of accomplishment and pride for all the work they’ve done to prepare the dog for a good life,
leaving a smile on both ends of the leash.
