How much does it cost to adopt and why?

Our adoption fee is $200 for Prison Tails dogs. We invest about $100 in veterinary services, vaccinations, heartworm & flea prevention and microchips for each dog we take in. Every month a dog remains in our care, cost rises. In addition, we provide food, training material, books, supplies, equipment and certification in basic obedience for Prison Tails dogs and their handlers.  Mixed Up Mutts, Inc. and Prison Tails relies solely on adoption fees and donations to support our efforts. We do not receive funding from the State or Westville Correctional Facility.

Is Mixed Up Mutts a “no kill” rescue group?

The short answer is yes! The longer answer is that we believe that euthanasia is the RIGHT, answer ONLY if a pet is suffering due to injury or illness that cannot be treated. However, because our resources are limited, we have had to make the decision on a few occasions to euthanize in cases of viciousness, aggression or severe behavior problems that make it impossible to find an appropriate placement for the pet.

Where does Mixed Up Mutts and Prison Tails get their dogs?

We work with animal shelters to rescue good candidates for the Prison Tails Program .  Dogs must be people and other-animal friendly and must be in need of obedience training, house training or household manners training in order to secure adoption by a responsible person or family.  

Can you take my dog?

Sometimes we can. Often, it is the small dogs (<20 lbs) that are easy to find homes for and we are able to take them more readily. Often, we just can’t. If you visit our “About Us” page you can see why. Our house will only hold so many and still have room for us. If a behavior problem has brought you to this point, consider sending your dog to prison for a few weeks for some training. (See our Express Train Page). If you can keep your dog until you find a new home for him, we can help by listing him on our web site. (Visit our Contact Us page for details). If you can’t wait, the outlook isn’t good, but you can visit our Links page for resources.

How can I start a program like Prison Tails?

Do your research. Talk to different programs and see how they do it. There is no need to completely reinvent the wheel, so to speak, with so many programs out there. Determine what kind of program you want to implement. Do you want to train service dogs, train dogs in obedience, work with juveniles, women, men? Do you want to work dogs from a local shelter or do you want to rescue and place dogs yourself after training? Talk to your local department of corrections. Are they interested in implementing a dog program? Can they supply an financing or will you need to finance the program? Can you commit to a large time commitment? Do you have access to support from volunteers and knowledgeable trainers? Think about the project from all angles. If you would like to talk to us, visit our Contact Us page. We are happy to share information.