Brig Rats Train Service Dogs

I've heard of this program in civilian prisons, and I think it's good that the residents of Base Building 3 are doing it too. It gives them something useful to do and benefits Marines who need help.

From the 'L.A. Unleashed' (heh) section of the LATimes

Prisoners in the U.S. Marine Corps brig at Camp Lejeune, N.C., are helping train service dogs to assist Marines wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Under a program overseen by Carolina Canines, based in Wilmington, N.C., the dogs stay with the prisoners as the dogs learn up to 70 tasks, such as turning off lights and picking up clothes. Each dog, such as the one above, gets about nine months of training, sleeping next to the cot of their trainer-prisoner.

"We messed up," a prisoner explained to WHQR in a report on National Public Radio. "But at least we can do something productive with our time while we're in here."

Coupla things, first, you gotta mess up big time to spend nine months in a Marine Corps brig, and second, how wouldja like to be a DJ at that radio station and have to say stuff like "And now, twenty minutes of uninterrupted music from Whacker 91.3! And don't forget to wash yer hands..."

And by the way, Labradumbs are a perfect fit for Jarheads. They're both given to runnin' around in circles with their tongues hangin' out, droolin' "Where did they go? Huh? Huh? Where did they go?" Natural allies, and if the dog is smart they got a chance...