This April marked one year since Chase Benoit, a man incarcerated at California’s San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, had laid eyes on Wendel, the guide dog he had once trained in prison.
But when black retriever locked eyes with Benoit, it was like no time had passed between them.
“He remembers me, for sure, I could tell when he came in,” Benoit told Wendel’s owner, Robert Quigley, through an American Sign Language interpreter. “I’m so happy that you love him, and that you have a bond.”
James Dern is the national director of puppy programs for Canine Companions, the nonprofit that coordinates the prison program.
He told the Associated Press that dogs trained within their programs have a 10% higher success rate at becoming service dogs than their counterparts, and estimates that it is because of the “time and care” incarcerated trainers invest in their students.
In April 2023, Benoit became one of four incarcerated men who welcomed 4-month-old puppies into their respective cells.
Over the course of a year, the men shared the responsibility of raising the dogs and teaching them 20 skills. Every three months, the puppies were taken out for socialization field trips in grocery stores and public parks. Between 16 and 17 months old, the dogs completed their training with professional dog trainers before being paired with their current owners.
Image via Canine Companions
Owners like Benjamin Carter, who received his service dog, Artemis, from the program at no cost.
“He is responsive when he’s working. He is cuddly when he is off the clock. He’s an amazing companion,” Carter told the Associated Press. “And all that structure and love and trust was built from these guys here, so I’m just super grateful to them.”
Today, the San Quentin program has quadrupled in size, with 16 trainers currently raising eight puppies. Since San Quentin joined Canine Companions in 2023, 11 more correctional facilities have followed suit.
“Being in this program, it’s given me something that I think I’ve searched for my whole life,” Benoit said. “And that was meaningful purpose, doing something that’s good, better, bigger than myself and feeling like I’m part of something great.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Dogs Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Canine Companions
