Capital Region Animal Shelter Moves Kennels To Albany Jail

You know that old saying "all dogs go to heaven", right? Well, in the capital region, all dogs go to jail...

That's not entirely true. We aren't overrun by criminal canines, but one local animal shelter is using the Albany County Jail as a way to increase the space for their precious pups.

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Creating More Kennel Space

Currently, the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society has 79 kennels. As it stands, that's nowhere near enough. The shelter is constantly running out of space, which leaves them in a tricky spot.

A new program through a partnership with the Albany County Sheriff's Office has created a solution. 16 new kennels will be added, just not at the shelter. They will, instead, be placed in the Albany County Jail. This isn't because the pups are misbehaving, however. They won't be placed there as a punishment, but for the exact opposite.

The STAR Program

The new STAR Program with the Albany County Sheriff's Department will use the dogs lack of a home as an advantage. The dogs will be housed at the Albany County Jail for six weeks at a time. In those six weeks, they will be housed with a small group of inmates who will be tasked with training and helping the dogs.

This program has been a massive success in years past, not only training the dogs before they reach their forever home, but teaching the inmates valuable communication they will be able to use once they are released. With 16 new kennels being added to the jail, that's 16 more dogs who will have a home, and 16 more inmates who are preparing for their future.