Detainees Graduate from Rescued Program

Commissioner: Gregory C. Dozier

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Gain Valuable Skills for Reentry

FORSYTH, Ga. – On November 28, eleven detainees at the Colwell Probation Detention Center in Blairsville, Ga graduated from Rescued, a dog rescue and rehabilitation program . This graduation marks the 21st round of dogs to be saved and rehabilitated, since the program’s inception in June 2012.

“We are very fortunate to be able to offer the Rescued Program and it is only possible with the help of our partners at the Human Society Mountain Shelter and Castoff Pet Rescue, as well as, all of our incredible volunteers,” said Commissioner Dozier.  “Each of our detainees are gifted in some way, but we can’t make it through life by just being gifted.  It takes hard work, sacrifice and commitment, which all the graduates have shown.” 

The detainees in the program go through a stringent interview process and those that are selected have the opportunity to take a variety of courses during the 12-week program.  These courses range from Basic Animal Health, Positive Reinforcement Dog Training Techniques, On Job Training in Grooming to Team Building and Situational Thinking.  The offenders must show a commitment to the dogs and themselves to address any changes that need to be made while in the program. Group 21 worked very hard with this round of dogs and they successfully had five out of six dogs adopted.   

For more information on RESCUED visit: https://www.facebook.com/Rescued-Program-527436114104038/

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.