MERIDIAN, Idaho — David Hardy never imagined that his time behind bars would someday lead to his current career.
Today, he serves as the facility manager at Boise Bully Breed Rescue, where he trains rescue dogs and helps them find loving homes.
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Hardy was imprisoned in December 2019 at the Idaho Correctional Institution-Orofino. While incarcerated, he joined the PAWS program, a partnership with the Boise Bully Breed Rescue that trains dogs over eight week periods.
"I was in a very transitional point in my life when I first joined the PAWS program, not really sure what direction I was gonna go, especially with being incarcerated," Hardy said.
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He soon took on a leadership role in the program, he shared it gave him purpose.
"That's something you kind of lack a lot of in there," Hardy said.
When Hardy was released in February 2025, he already had a job waiting at the rescue.
"I never would have guessed that I would have left The Department of Corrections and continued dog training. They've been beyond supportive and pushed me for reaching goals that I wanna reach," Hardy added.
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Now, Hardy also helps with other PAWS programs, hoping to inspire those still behind bars.
"Being able to communicate with guys that I was recently incarcerated with, and it kind of gives them an idea of like, I guess hope would be the right word of like being able to make a transition,” Hardy explained. “For me, it makes me really proud to be able to go in there and then show people that the things that I learned in here can apply out here as well."
Hardy also runs his own dog training business, Pawsitive Pathways Dog Training LLC, and said the dogs didn't just get a second chance, they gave him one too.
"Being here is a constant reminder of, you know, the opportunities that I've been provided, and I don't wanna take them for granted," Hardy said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
