VIDEO: Paws And Stripes College Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Takes Place At Eastern Florida

Ribbon Cutting begins at 10 a.m.

ABOVE VIDEO: Sheriff Wayne Ivey addressed the media and thanked supporters who helped make the Paws and Stripes College possible over the weekend.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Sheriff Wayne Ivey, along with Eastern Florida State College President cut the ribbon on the new Paws and Stripes College in Cocoa over the weekend.

Members of the media attended and other supporters the ceremony were given tours of facility following the Ribbon Cutting.

Honored guests to included;

• Dr. Jim Richey, President, Eastern Florida State College

• Bob Socks, Titusville Chamber of Commerce

• Teresa Clifton, Central Brevard Humane Society

• Patrick Fox, SPCA

• Katherine Johnson, Friends for Animals Sanctuary Paws and Stripes College

In partnership with Eastern Florida State College’s (EFSC) Veterinarian Technician Program, Sheriff Wayne Ivey was pleased to announce the next generation of the Paws & Stripes® program; “The Paws and Stripes College”.

The basic tenants of the original program remain in place while serving as the foundation for the newly formed “College”.

Selected canine graduates of the original 8 week course will now move into the advanced training program to serve our community as PTSD dogs, therapy dogs, child victim advocate dogs, dogs to assist in computer crimes and crimes against children investigations, along with dogs that can detect epileptic seizures in children, all of which will be given away at no cost.

Additionally, we plan to train dogs that can detect termites and other types of insects that could be sold commercially to assist in financially supporting the new initiative.

To accommodate this new and innovative program, the Sheriff’s Office was able to refurbish a building that was previously abandoned by the Department of Corrections when the Brevard County Work Camp was closed.

The facility has been renovated into a world class training facility through the use of inmate welfare funds, inmate labor, and at little cost to the taxpayers of Brevard County.

This program is a win/win/win initiative that frees up kennel space in the local Public and Private Animal Care Centers, provides dogs a forever home, provides an incredible resource to those in need, helps increase our Live Release Rate, provides college students a strong practical application for their area of study, and teaches inmates a job skill that can be utilized to decrease the recidivism rate of incarceration.

The Paws & Stripes® program The Paws & Stripes® program has been in existence since September of 2006, and is a successful partnership between the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Central Brevard Humane Society, and the SPCA of North Brevard.

This program pairs carefully selected and trained Jail inmates with shelter dogs that are at a significant risk of being euthanized. To date, over 300 dogs have graduated and been saved through this amazing program.

During this eight-week course, inmates train their canine partners to be responsive to both voice commands and hand signals.

The dogs are housebroken and learn all basic obedience skills to include: heel, sit, down, stay, and come.

At the end of their training, the canine recruits are tested by an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and receive their CGC Certification prior to finding a permanent home.

The inmates who participate in the Paws and Stripes Program gain a sense of accomplishment while they learn techniques in dog training, general pet grooming, and veterinary assistant skills.

In addition, they complete a Pet First Aid and CPR course and are given the opportunity to acquire their Level 1 Certification from the International Boarding and Pet Care Services Association.

This, in turn, is very useful in job placement upon the inmates when they are released from the Brevard County Jail.

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