Dogs at a Florida shelter won’t have to endure Fourth of July fireworks all alone.
The animals — known to be frightened during one of America’s favorite pastimes — will be comforted by Brevard County inmates on Thursday.
The sheriff’s office said “a number of citizens” contacted them “volunteering to help comfort the dogs” at the Animal Care Center during firework displays in the area.
“Oftentimes dogs will get anxiety and frightened because of fireworks and other loud noises that can be heard on the Fourth of July, so a number of our citizens offered to help us this year by comforting them and trying to keep them calm,” Sheriff Wayne Ivey wrote on Facebook.
Brevard County authorities said that while they appreciate the offer, the agency has created a new program “that will not only help our dogs but will also help add purpose to the lives of inmates incarcerated at the Brevard County Jail.”
A group of 15 inmates will be reading to the shelter dogs, playing with them and feeding them treats — even “some sorbet,” Ivey told WOFL.
Ivey said while their goal is to help the dogs, they also want to “help build and instill a sense of purpose and compassion in the inmates that will hopefully aid them as they transition back into society once they have served their time.”
“The upside for the inmates is they’re learning to care for something, to be compassionate about something, and I think it’s a win-win for everybody across the board,” the sheriff said of the program.