Leavenworth ? The words “prison” and “safe harbor” are not normally considered synonymous.

But at Lansing Correctional Facility, that’s been the case for a little more than five months. That’s when the prison dog program, Safe Harbor for Pets, started.

Toby Young, a former Sprint Corp. employee who now works at Tuttle Veterinary Clinic in Basehor, directs the program — which aims to save dogs from being euthanized in several animal shelters around the state.

The dogs come from shelters as close as Leavenworth and Kansas City, Kan., and as far away as Junction City. Animals also have come to the program because their owners no longer wanted them. Several times, Young said, prison employees have brought in abandoned dogs or ones they knew that weren’t being cared for properly.

The idea, as Young explains it, is to take dogs that may not have been considered desirable for adoption and transform them into the lovable and well-behaved pets they can be.

A visit to a recent session conducted by Young, assisted by Wendy Peterson, provided a glimpse of the transformation process.

And it’s not just the dogs that have been transformed, several staff members point out. Steve Laun, a unit manager at the medium-security unit in the prison, related several instances of men whose behavior improved once they became dog handlers.

Lawrence Jackson knows working with the dogs has helped him.

“I’ve always loved animals,” Jackson said. “They help me be relaxed.”

Luis Guiterrez, one of the inmate dog handlers at Lansing Correctional Facility, teaches Speedy, a Jack Russell terrier, to jump into his arms Oct. 27, at the state prison in Lansing.

The love of animals appears to be a common bond among the handlers. Each dog has a primary and secondary handler, Young said, so it will be around a person 24 hours a day.

A look at the Web site, www.safeharborforpets.com, provides a bit of Young’s philosophy as to how important it is that the adopting family treat the animals properly.

One available puppy is Kelsey, a 4-month-old, large English pointer mix.

“Kelsey will not be going to a home where he is left alone all day,” the narrative says. “Leaving a puppy in a crate all day is not acceptable. Left outside all day, he would quickly learn bad behaviors just trying to entertain his lonely self.”

The dogs in the prison program usually stay there from three to 12 weeks, but that varies. Delilah, a walker coonhound handled by Rob Branson, will be there a little longer because she is being treated for heart worms, Branson said.

“We all work to keep them healthy,” he added.

All the dogs available for adoption have been spayed or neutered, have all vaccinations, are parasite free and have been heart worm tested, Young notes. They have been taught basic obedience commands, including walking on a leash, sit/stay, heel, down and wait.

Some handlers have taken this to a new level. Luis Guiterrez, for example, who teaches informal classes for other handles in the evenings, has taught Speedy, a Jack Russell terrier, to pray.

He also has taught some of his charges to open cabinet doors, turn lights on and off and to jump into his arms.

Henry Cordero, who notes his own Hispanic background, has taught several dogs to be bilingual. He said he first teaches the commands in English, then in Spanish. One dog that he trained was adopted by a family that spoke both Spanish and English.

“I love animals,” Cordero noted. “They should be treated like human beings. God made us both.”

Applications for adoption, which costs $125, are available on the Safe Harbor Web site. It’s possible to set up an appointment to visit an animal before deciding, though Young said some people have driven nearly 400 miles to adopt a dog “sight unseen,” based on the picture and description that also are available on the Web site.