My alarm went off at 5am, and I could not remember why until my brother knocked on my door to drop off Ripley (who had been staying with him and his family while I was out of town) on his way to work — so now the band is back together, but, more importantly for our purposes, I’m awake in time to actually compose a Thursday PT rather than require a pinch hitter! That said, despite being back in CST, this Thursday PT is late already (y’all are some real taskmasters), so I’ll make this quick:

The Louisiana prison system is awful. Sure, there’s no such thing as a “good” prison system, but Louisiana’s is especially odious, whether we’re incarcerating undocumented immigrants, potheads, or, okay fine, the occasional murderer, etc. But here’s a lovely thing: the From the Big House to Your House pet adoption program, wherein prisoners at Dixon Correction Institute in Jackson, LA, Rayburn Correctional Center in Angie, LA, and the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, LA, take care of rescue dogs to prepare them for adoption.

After Hurricane Katrina left an already strapped pet-rescue system in dire need, with too many family pets left behind or otherwise lost, an emergency pet shelter was set up at Dixon Correction Institute, and the Pen Pals shelter in Louisiana was born.

Called Canine Assessment Training Staff, prisoner C.A.T.S. work to train the dogs in basic obedience — and sometimes provide advanced training for emotional support and other service needs — before sending them to forever homes. Now, through the combined efforts of the Humane Society of the United States, the LSU Vet School, and Dixon Correctional Institute, there’s a waiting list for these dogs, and nearly 1,000 dogs have gone through the program so far. The inmates care for the dogs 24/7 and write daily journals describing the dogs’ progress, so y’all know I love that.

Anyway, it might be bullshit, and it certainly doesn’t solve the deeper issue of Louisiana having the highest inmate population in a country with one of the highest inmate populations for a developed nation, but it seems like a nice program and a nice thing to think about on a chilly, rainy Thursday morning in early December.

Don’t think I don’t see Secret Heeler in this perfect dog’s perfect face.

Be kind to yourselves and each other, Avocados! You don’t have to be kind to Mayor McSquirrel, but do be circumspect. You are loved.