While this bill ultimately did not become law, the Director hopes that prisoner dog programs which emphasize clear, kind and consistent communication (positive reinforcement) will become the norm in a nationwide win-win situation for inmates and dogs alike. UNDERDOGS was filmed in a minimum-security county jail with volunteer-led leadership and non-violent offenders.

The first inmate dog program was started in 1981 by Sister Pauline Quinn (1942-2020), a nun who credited a dog with saving her life while she was homeless.  Sister Pauline partnered with the Univ. of Washington to create the first prisoner dog program (Prisoner Pet Partnership), which works with medium to maximum security women to train highly specialized service dogs and offer boarding, grooming and other services. In the United States, the tendency of a prisoner to reoffend (recidivism) is every two out of three offenders, or 66%.  At Sister Pauline's flagship program, there is a 0-5% recidivism rate today, perhaps because the women become highly employable upon release by having Pet Care Technician Certification and highly specialized training skills.