Pups In Prison: Mule Creek Inmates Help Train Service Dogs

IONE (CBS13) – Behind these cement walls and metal gates you'll find what you'd expect.

"I was 17 years old. I did a strong arm robbery. I got 13 years and eight months. I have 19 months left," said inmate Eric Ardoin.

Here in Facility A, a maximum security space at Mule Creek Prison in Ione, are some of the toughest guys around.

"I'm in prison for manslaughter. I've been in prison for like 10 years now," inmate Maurice said.

But there's change in the air. Tender Loving Canines just started up an inmate training program.

The convicts train pups to be service dogs for veterans and children with autism.

It's been a just over a week and these little labs have managed to break the tension with their barks.

"When I seen the dogs in the yard, it immediately a brought joy to me," Ardoin said. "It made me smile, and you know in here smiles are kinda far and few between."

The pups have brought everyone a sense of purpose with their paws.

"The yard has absolutely become invested in this program as a whole and not just the inmates in the program," said Eric Pederson with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

And while the end goal means their separation, it's clear the impact of these four-legged animals will go beyond the sentences these men will serve within these walls.

"I think I have a hard heart. I've been doing criminal activity for so long and I think now that I have him he's made me be more humble," Maurice said.