Dogs on the Inside (2014) demonstrates the special bonds humans sometimes build with their dogs. Because the documentary focuses on prison inmates in a canine training program for neglected strays, however, its construction of dogs not only shows how relationships between dogs and people transcend class, race, and profession, but also illustrates how animal companions may transform into what Haraway calls companion species. The film emphasizes how both dogs and inmates benefit from the connections between them. Here the dogs are neglected or abused strays adopted from overcrowded shelters across the nation where 3 million dogs are euthanized each year.
Instead, the dogs and the inmates who train them get a second chance in this Massachusetts correctional facility. Both the dogs and their inmate trainers benefit from this process. After months of bonding with inmates and learning the skills they need to thrive in a traditional home, the dogs are adopted by area families. The inmates also gain social skills but more importantly find hope for a future outside the prison walls. According to the documentary press release, “Connected by their troubled pasts, the dogs learn to have faith in people again while the inmates are reminded of their own humanity and capacity for love and empathy.”
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