There’s a no-kill animal shelter inside the Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, Louisiana. There, prisoners partner with students from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine to treat homeless pets. Both sides of the partnership are learning valuable skills and saving animals’ lives.

From JAVMA News:

Alexis Solis removes her stethoscope and leans her head close to Lady Red, a 5 1/2-year-old Beagle.

Jason Broom, a prisoner at Dixon Correctional Institute, watches from across an examination table in the prison’s animal shelter as Solis, a veterinary student, listens to wheezing when the Beagle inhales. During the examination, he describes the treatment regimen he has been giving Lady Red for heartworm infection, anterior uveitis of unknown origin in the dog’s remaining eye, and digestive difficulties.

Solis is one of four fourth-year students from the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine who, under the supervision of Drs. Wendy Wolfson and Brandy Duhon, examined and, in some cases, prescribed treatments for 13 dogs and one cat during a mid-October morning at Pen Pals, a no-kill animal shelter inside the Dixon Institute in Jackson, LA. The visit to the prison is part of LSU’s clinical animal shelter rotation.