In the new WKNO production, The Least Among Us: The Prison Paws Project, convicted prisoners – some serving life sentences for violent crime – find new purpose in caring for troubled dogs and preparing them for loving homes.

Shy from abuse or neglect, dogs with behavioral problems have little chance of being placed with families. A screened group of prisoners work with Elta Woodliff, a professional dog trainer, to give these dogs a second chance. It is also a second chance for prisoners, who saw no hope in their own lives until they were introduced to the dogs. According to one of the inmates, before the dogs came to the prison, “we felt like we had been thrown away.” In addition to looking at the Memphis-area program, the documentary also visits Pen Pals, a similar program in Richmond, VA, and Paws with Purpose, a program in Louisville, KY, where inmates train dogs as service animals for people with disabilities.

The Least Among Us: The Prison Paws Project, a new half-hour documentary produced by Pierre Kimsey (Stax Academy: From Soulsville to Italy and Joe Scott: Memories of the Negro Leagues), first aired in September 2008 on WKNO/Channel 10. It will air again Thursday, February 12 at 8:00 p.m.

Press Release