So now we're gonna get to the moment
that everyone has been waiting for.
And so I'm going to call each person's name
and let you know which dog you are going to be paired with.
It's an emotional day for Crystal,
the day she gets to give the dog she's trained
to the woman who needs him the most.
Heather, you are going to be with McDonald.
(group clapping)
I was hoping for this guy, so I'm excited.
I get emotional.
I know Crystal's worked really hard
and I want to keep it going for her.
I appreciate everything you've done.
We're gonna do really good work.
Crystal, who is serving a 10 year sentence
at a New York State prison has been raising McDonald
since he was just eight weeks old.
Over the past two years, she and McDonald have formed
a special bond that's changed her life, she says.
When you come in here, you're broken.
You're all to pieces and you don't know who you can trust.
And you can tell this dog anything and
he doesn't judge you.
Crystal is part of a program
called Puppies Behind Bars, which gives incarcerated people
the opportunity to train service dogs.
Crystal raised McDonald to help
veterans and first responders.
When it's time for the dogs to go out into the world,
puppy raisers show their new owners what to do.
Now we're going to go to the grocery store.
Yay, let's go, good boy.
Good boy.
Justice, block.
Yes, good block, good boy.
So you want to always have your pup out of the way.
Because there's other shoppers going by
with carts, you know, kids walking by
and you don't ever want them to get stepped on.
And then it's time for the dogs' new humans
to try it out.
Derek Sesston has worked as a firefighter
for more than 26 years.
60 seconds.
Derek, you need to use three different commands.
Three different commands, okay.
Jerry, heel.
Knowing the dogs are helping people
live better lives is meaningful, one puppy raiser says.
Veterans, first responders, firemen, you know.
And police officers come back and they say, you know,
I'm able to go out with my family more
and I want to go out with them more
and they allow them to do normal things
that we take for granted every day.
This puppy raiser has been raising Dakota.
Dakota, kiss.
Kiss, yes, good kiss, good boy, kiss.
The program is also an opportunity
for inmates to be viewed as individuals
and not simply prisoners, she says.
It's more than just, you know,
women or men in prison raising dogs.
We are human beings as well and we are capable
of changing and capable of giving back in ways
in which some people may never have the opportunity
and we're extremely grateful for that.
The dogs are paired with the first responders
who are the best fit for their personalities
during a special graduation ceremony.
This is my partner now for the rest of her life.
It's just amazing.
It was an emotional moment
when Crystal knew she would be saying goodbye to McDonald.
But she knew he was ready.
This dog's gonna change so many people's lives.
It's gonna be amazing.
Good boy.
Let's go.
Connecticut police officer Heather McLellan
plans to use McDonald as an emotional support dog
with her fellow officers and the kids
and teens she works with.
McDonald, salute.
Yes, good boy.
And these dogs have taught
both the puppy raisers and their new owners
a lot about being human.
You know, the person I am today is the person
that I want to be, is the person that when I wake up
in the morning and I look in the mirror, I'm like
proud to be that person.
Kiss.
Oh, yes, good kiss, good boy, thank you.
A sense of pride that comes
from giving back.
For InsideEdition.com, I'm Kailyn Ford.
(inspiring music)