COOK COUNTY, IL – Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today the expansion of a program in which individuals in custody train shelter dogs and help them find their forever homes.
Sheriff Dart founded Tails of Redemption in 2018 to help dogs who may be overlooked for adoption by teaching them basic commands such as sit, stay, and crate. The dogs are trained by individuals in custody, who learn not only dog training and caring skills through this program, but also empathy, patience, and problem solving.
“At a time when shelters are reaching capacity, I am pleased to announce that Tails of Redemption is now positioned to help more dogs than ever,” Sheriff Dart said. “This program is a win for everyone. The dogs find good homes, who may otherwise still be in a shelter, or, worse yet, euthanized, and the men in the program learn new skills as well as see the positive impact they are capable of making.”
At its previous location in Division 9, Tails of Redemption was limited to 10 dogs due to space constraints. At its current location at the Mental Health Transition Center, the program can work with 22 dogs at a time, more than doubling its ability to help dogs in need.
The program started in 2018 with five dogs from Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). Since then, nearly 100 dogs that have gone through the program have been adopted and more than 160 individuals in custody have participated. The program now works with three shelters, CACC, Cicero’s Waggin’ Tails municipal shelter, and the South Suburban Humane Society.
The program has also grown to include certifying qualified dogs in the program to become therapy dogs.
For more information about Tails of Redemption, and to learn more about the dogs available for adoption, email [email protected] or follow the program on Instagram, @tailsofredemption, and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cookcountyil.gov.
For members of the public interested in supporting Tails of Redemption, the program has an Amazon Wishlist with items it needs.