Los Lunas Prison Program Trains Shelter Puppies, Reshapes Inmates' Lives

Justin Stone had never owned a dog in his life. Sentenced in 2024 to multiple years at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas, he now spends the majority of his days training and caring for Millie, a German shepherd puppy, as part of a highly competitive prison program that pairs shelter dogs with incarcerated handlers.

Stone is one of 27 inmates enrolled in CNMCF's dog-training initiative, which operates under two program names: 4 Paws for adult dogs and Paw Patrol for puppies. The roster breaks down into 16 primary handlers and 11 secondary handlers, who step in when someone is sick or gets released. Valencia County Animal Services supplies the dogs, and once trained and socialized, the animals are placed with shelters and adopters.

Millie is the fourth dog Stone has handled. Before her, he trained a dog he named Draco, who was adopted by his nieces and nephews. Stone said the adoption was a way to give his family a piece of himself, even from behind prison walls. "It's nice knowing that I'm preparing these animals for success," he said. "They get to go to a family, go to a home. It holds its own benefits."

Fellow participant Raul Rodriguez is training Copper, an Australian cattle dog puppy. Rodriguez said the program brings him joy and helps relieve the stress of being incarcerated.

Corrections Secretary Alisha Tafoya Lucero said programs like this one are central to the department's broader strategy. "We do lots of work to bridge the gap between incarceration and community to do everything that we can," she said. Tafoya Lucero defined recidivism as the rate of inmates who return to prison after release, calculated over a three-year period. New Mexico's recidivism rate dropped from nearly 50% to 33% in recent years, though it climbed back to nearly 40% in 2024 before settling at a current rate of 36.7%, according to prior Albuquerque Journal reporting.

The puppy program is one of dozens of rehabilitation offerings at CNMCF and across the state's corrections system. A gardening program at the Mental Health Treatment Center teaches inmates large-scale seed planting, with the produce donated to local food banks. The New Mexico Corrections Department also runs similar dog programs at four other facilities: Paws in the Pen at the Penitentiary of New Mexico in Santa Fe, the 4 Paws Dog Club at Guadalupe County Correctional Facility in Santa Rosa, The Last Chance at Western New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, and P.A.W.S. (Prisoners and Animals Working Toward Success) at Southern New Mexico Correctional Facility in Las Cruces.

The department plans to expand the dog training program and related initiatives. Stone, for his part, is considering professional dog handling or volunteer work with animals after his release. Families interested in adopting a dog trained through the CNMCF program can contact Valencia County Animal Services at (505) 866-2479.