Good dogs and their soldiers

The late writer Roger Caras said that "dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."

Meet Jada and her new master, Marine Sgt. Brian Jarrell, and you'll see the wisdom in those words.

In less than 24 hours, Jada gave Sgt. Jarrell what nothing else had been able to give him -- a good night's sleep. She slept with her chin on his chest, and he slept without the heart-racing anger and anxiety that had interrupted his sleep for years.

The nonprofit Carolina Canines for Veterans program, which moved to the Navy Brig here in August, can say its first graduate learned her lessons well.

And the teachers? They are prisoners who are also benefiting from the program. They are being taught to train service dogs to load laundry, turn off light switches and pick up a dime from the floor -- with their teeth.

The prisoners are also learning about respect, patience, kindness and loyalty.

If there is a problem with this program, we can't see it.

Deserving veterans are getting help coping with staggering problems. The time-consuming (up to 2,000 hours per dog) and expensive training process (valued at $40,000 each) is performed by prisoners.

Carolina Canines operates on donations. It rescues dogs from local shelters. It helps rehabilitate prisoners, gives comfort to veterans with emotional or physical needs -- and it works.

Beyond that, it should keep working. Jada is the first dog to graduate after being trained by a prisoner at the Naval Consolidated Brig. Supporters hope as many as 20 service dogs at a time will eventually be living with brig inmates and learning everything from pushing elevator buttons to opening doors.

Inmates and veterans, like the dogs, are carefully screened and selected.

And no one is surprised when prisoners and veterans in the program end up with a new life goal -- to be as good a person as their dogs think they are.

Good dog. Good soldiers.

Good program.