From Puppies for Parole to Vet Tech—How Dogs Changed a Former Inmate’s Life

Joe Denti was a standout participant in Puppies for Parole, a restorative justice program that pairs inmates with rescue dogs needing training.
Joe Denti was incarcerated for a total of 34 years at the Jefferson City Correctional Center—from age 16 to age 50. Now, he’s giving back to his community and its pets as a veterinary technician, made possible by his nearly 15 years as a participant in a restorative justice program called Puppies for Parole.

We talked to Denti about his incredible journey and the dogs that changed his life while behind bars.

What is Puppies for Parole?

Denti became a Puppies for Parole resident dog trainer shortly after the program was introduced to the Missouri Department of Corrections in 2010. Puppies for Parole is a restorative justice program that pairs inmates with local shelter dogs to provide them with the necessary training they need to increase their chances of adoption.

And even though Denti is a self-proclaimed dog lover, learning how to properly train dogs was an adjustment.

“When we first started, we didn’t really know what we were doing as far as training, not only training but also we were rehabilitating,” Denti says. “A lot of these shelter dogs have issues that we have to try to overcome. It’s easy to adopt a dog that doesn’t have any problems.”

Eventually, Denti and his fellow resident trainers were able to fall into a rhythm, thanks to the dog training resources provided to participants by Royal Canin USA, the program’s nutrition and education sponsor.

“Royal Canin offered us a lot of resources—we had a desire and we knew what the end goal was, but we didn’t know how to get there,” Denti says. “We had a lot of assistance from people to help us get there, to learn, to grow, so that we could be better.”

In its current state, each dog enrolled in Puppies for Parole completes an 8-10-week program with the help of their resident dog trainer that follows the framework of the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) exam, a 10-skill test created by the American Kennel Club (AKC) that teaches good manners to dogs and responsible ownership to their owners.

The Impact of Puppies for Parole

In 2023, Puppies for Parole celebrated adopting out its 7,000th dog and is considered one of the most successful restorative justice programs in the country. But for Denti, the numbers and statistics pale in comparison to the impact Puppies for Parole has on the individual.

“It’s about saving a life,” Denti says, “and improving the quality of life not only for the dog but now we get the opportunity to reach out and put that dog in a family that is going to have not only a well-trained family member but also a loving family member.”

His time with Puppies for Parole also served as a chance for Denti to heal something within himself.

“For us as handlers, we’re able to take something that is broken, something that represents to some degree what many of us that were in prison have experienced—brokenness—and put it back together,” Denti says.

“With every dog that we work with, we learn something about ourselves, whether it’s an understanding of a relation to what we’ve experienced, or what we’ve caused somebody else to experience,” Denti adds. “And I’m really big on that because some of these dogs represent people that we victimized: the things that I’ve done to another human being, another human being has done to this dog, so it continuously reinforces empathy about what that dog has experienced.”

Joe Denti, Veterinary Technician and Dog Dad

Following his release from the Jefferson City Correctional Center, Denti is determined to continue helping local pets in need. He recently started school to become a registered veterinary technician (RVT), thanks to a scholarship made possible by Royal Canin USA. In this new role, Denti hopes to save lives in ways he couldn’t before as a dog trainer.

“One time in the program, we received an old English Bulldog that we about lost because they didn’t know that she still had another stillborn when she gave birth,” Denti recalls. “In that situation, I was helpless. Yeah, I made it. I kind of determined in my mind that I wasn’t going to be helpless anymore—I wanted to learn everything that I could.”

Denti is studying to earn his certification online while also working at a local veterinary clinic, giving him the hands-on experience he needs to provide his desired level of exemplary care.

“Pets are family, so it’s important for me that they get and I give the utmost quality of care that I’m able to give them, and that’s where my education comes in,” Denti says.

In his free time—between his classes and clinic hours—Denti supports Puppies for Parole in every way he can, but no single feat will ever top being able to adopt a pet of his own directly from the program: Cookie the dog.

“The transition from incarceration to society is somewhat kind of difficult,” Denti says. “I have been blessed in having support from people who care, but at the end of the day, though, Cookie is by my side. She’s helped me through a lot.”

You can learn more about the life-changing work made possible by Puppies for Parole and meet the dogs currently eligible for adoption by visiting https://doc.mo.gov/programs/puppies-parole