Dogs Walk the Stage at TAILS Graduation

Written by Brian De Los Santos

It wasn’t sets of two feet that walked across the graduation stage on Friday, but sets of four.

Four dogs from the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA (PHS/SPCA) graduated from the TAILS partnership program with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. 

Inmates at the Men’s Minimum Security Transitional Facility in Redwood City have spent the better part of the past eight weeks training these dogs, shaping them to be animals that can better socialize in public situations.

“A lot of people talk about training, obedience and commands,” said Scott Delucchi, PHS/SPCA’s spokesperson. “But we’re much more about socialization so it’s getting the dogs used to being around other dogs, used to being around people.”

The TAILS program, Transitioning Animals into Loving Homes, has been running 
in eight-week cycles and has had 15 groups since it started. The dogs come from various locations, whether it be owners who can no longer take care of them or strays.

The inmates provide the dogs the time commitment they need during the training period, making finding a home that’s just as good a difficult task, Delucchi said.

“It’s been inmates who have nothing but time on their hands and dogs who need nothing but time,” Delucchi said. “So it’s a perfect match. They give time to the dogs and really the only challenge for us is finding a home that’s just as good as the one they just had in jail. It sounds funny but it’s true.”

The dogs are currently up for adoption. Those interested can reach PHS/SPCA Behavior and Training Direction Maria Eguren at (650) 240-7022, ext. 306 or email meguren@phs-spca.org.