St. Johns County, K9s for Warriors using dogs to rehabilitate inmates and save lives

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Dogs are helping to rehabilitate and save lives, with the help of K9s for Warriors.

On Thursday, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office held its first graduation ceremony for dogs trained by four of its inmates, to soon be released to their new, veteran owners.

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One of the four inmate handlers, Anthony Godby, now hopes to work for K9s for Warriors once released, while outlining for Action News Jax how the program has changed his life.

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“I’ve bounced around from thing to thing throughout my life looking for something to give me meaningful purpose. And I feel this program is definitely going to be able to provide that,” said Godby.

With 17 veterans also lost a day across the United States to suicide, according to a 2022 Department of Veteran Affairs report, these dogs now being fully trained, and ready for new, veteran handlers, is truly a lifesaving mission.

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“Where are they going now? Well, they’re going to help a warrior out, help a veteran out, and save a life,” said St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick. “It’s helping the inmates, it’s helping the canines, and it’s helping the veterans.”

K9′s for Warriors started the program in 2021 with 10 inmates and four dogs. They say they’ve already seen success with a similar program in Duval County - now hoping to keep the program around in St. Johns County.

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