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maconmagazine.com 85 SUBSCRIBE ONLINE: maconmagazine.com Adoptions/Euthanasia Report 2019 Dogs Cats Adoptions Dogs Cats Euthanasia 336 141 367 323 2020 278 111 219 97 2021 271 116 223 117 2022 182 107 263 51 incarceration and at-risk youth at RYDC an opportunity to help train and socialize dogs as they learn marketable job skills and hone their own emotional skills in preparation for life outside jail or a juvenile detention center. Patterson explained, "Adult inmates that work with Bondable Pups are in jail for crimes like DUI, minor theft, or failure to pay child support. They're not part of the general jail population. Bondable Pups is a super program. These dogs get extra time and special training, which includes obedience skills that prepare them to go to a good home. If inmates stick with our program, they've had a meaningful job and learned skills they can use when released. We issue them a certificate they can take when they appear in court and can use it to seek employment at places like a veterinary clinic or with a rescue group." Joe, who will be released from the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center in January, said he is working to obtain veterinary certification. "The dogs are my babies. My children are grown, so I talk to them like they're my children. And Bondable Pups is teaching me humility." Bondable Pups provides homeless dogs an opportunity to survive and thrive — and as quick as one is adopted, Brandi Smith is back at the shelter potentially saving another dog from death. What began as a proposal to Bibb County Sheriff David Davis by former Bibb County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Knight Pressley for inmates to walk, feed, and bathe dogs completing the rescue process has morphed into an excellent, full- fledged training program. Smith reported, "After Joe completes our four-hour course and his incarceration ends, he'll qualify for work in the animal field. Veterinarians like their employees to have experience, and he will." Joe could also work as a kennel tech in a boarding facility. Bondable Pups helps inmates get back on their feet while saving the lives of more than 200 dogs since 2017, and a key element of that success story is Smith, who does everything possible to facilitate adoptions and ensures that every dog is as good for the home as the home is for the dog. Smith quipped, "There's a Macon mutt on every street corner, but with Bondable Pups, they quickly go from street dogs to divas." Just ask Debo. *Pseudonym used throughout to protect the identity of the individual. Bondable Pups: Blsmith2@maconbibb.us Macon-Bibb County Animal Services: (478) 621-6774 4214 Fulton Mill Road Closed Sunday & Monday