Eastside Students Participate in Charity Champions to Raise Funds for Puppies Behind Bars

To celebrate the generous fundraising efforts undertaken by students at Eastside High School in Paterson, students and guests gathered for a check presentation for their participation in Optimum Community’s Charity Champions program. A $1,000 donation on behalf of Eastsides’s Student Government was awarded to representatives from Puppies Behind Bars, after which PBB representative Eric Barnsness demonstrated how the puppies are trained.

Puppies Behind Bars trains prison inmates to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. Puppies enter prison at the age of eight weeks and live with their inmate puppy-raisers for approximately 24 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to society. PBB programs bring the love and healing of dogs to hundreds of individuals every year. The dogs bring hope and pride to their raisers, and independence and security to those they serve.