Inmates raise service dogs for wounded war veterans

LAKEVILLE — A national program — started by a Lakeville resident and designed to help prison inmates and Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans — has offered comfort to the local family of a soldier killed overseas.

Puppies Behind Bars (PBB) trains prison inmates to raise services dogs that are then donated to wounded Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. PBB also trains dogs that detect explosive devices for law enforcement.

Gloria Gilbert Stoga, who lives in New York City and has a weekend home in Lakeville, is the president and founder of Puppies Behind Bars.

“We started 18 years ago doing guide dogs for the blind,” she said. “Then in 2006 we started doing service dogs for veterans.”

While she credits veterinarian Thomas Lane of Florida for coming up with the idea of guide dogs being raised in prison, Stoga said the idea for raising dogs in prison for wounded servicemen was her own.

Some of the dogs help veterans with physical disabilities, she said, “We specialize in post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. We felt we could train dogs to help veterans with physical disabilities as well as veterans with invisible wounds.”

So far PBB has paired 75 veterans with dogs. There is no cost to the veteran. But training and preparing a  dog for service costs about $40,000.

Recently the Millerton American Legion Women’s Auxiliary paid $3,000 (the price has now gone up to $6,000) to have a service dog named after Airman First Class Zachary Ryan Cuddeback, who was killed in Operation Enduring Freedom on March 2, 2011, at the age of 21. He was serving in the United States Air Force in Ramstein, Germany. The Cuddeback family has roots in the Millerton and Millbrook area.

Zac’s father, Robert Cuddeback, who himself served more than 28 years in the United States Army and retired as a Chief Warrant Officer Three, said he was deeply touched by the auxiliary’s thoughtfulness.

“I was extremely honored, as I am certain Zac would be as well,” said Cuddeback. “I am in awe of the PBB program and the work it does for Wounded Warriors. A lot of organizations may work with Wounded Warriors, but PBB does it in a unique way. Using prisoners to train the puppies is a phenomenal way, not only to get the puppies trained, but to allow prisoners to repay a debt to society and feel included in the American community.”

Stoga agreed, saying that, “Puppies Behind Bars gives inmates the opportunity to contribute to society while they’re incarcerated.”

It takes roughly two years to train a PBB dog. K9 Zac went through all the training and was sent to Afghanistan to be a therapy dog for the troops. 

Before heading to the Middle East, Cuddeback had a chance to meet his son’s namesake in Millerton.

“It was humbling to meet K9 Zac for the first time,” Cuddeback said. “A wave of emotions came over me: joy, happiness, sadness and longing for my son. But, to know that K9 Zac would be helping the morale and welfare of deployed soldiers as a Unit Ministry Dog in Afghanistan was in keeping with the spirit of my son — he always provided a smile and laugh wherever he went —and I was extremely humbled.”

For more information on Puppies Behind Bars go to www.puppiesbehindbars.com or call 212-680-9562.