A story of love, loss, and redemption. "Prison Dogs" focuses on the impact of a unique dog training program that gives two of the most marginalized populations in our society — prison inmates and veterans — a second chance.
Filmed at Fishkill State Correctional Facility in New York, the documentary follows three inmates serving long-term sentences for murder and armed robbery. Typically, the men spend their days mired in a tangle of frustration, regret, hopelessness, and anger. Enter Gloria Gilbert Stoga, a feisty, brilliant dog expert with a tough love, no-nonsense attitude and a firm belief in second chances. Gloria runs the program, Puppies Behind Bars, which teaches a select group of inmates to train puppies to become service dogs for disabled veterans, whether suffering from PTSD or physical injuries that render them immobile.
"Prison Dogs" captures in detail how the powerful relationship between humans and animals can restore the lives of those deemed impossible to save. Lives are saved both behind bars and at home for those newly returned from the battlefield. It is a story of hope, one that not only posits that people can change, but illustrates a very real way in which it can be done.