9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Sen. Bennet makes good on campaign promise: Family gets dog

9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Sen. Bennet makes good on campaign promise: Family gets dog
DENVER - Children will forget their shoes, forget
their manners, forget their homework, but they r
arely forget a promise made to them by mom or
dad.

This is especially true when dad just happens to be
Senator Michael Bennet. His daughters Caroline,
Halina and Anne were focused on just one thing the
day after the election.

"The only business they wanted to deal with after
the election was getting a dog. That was job number
one and they managed to do it," Bennet said.

Bennet says in many ways his daughters and wife
were more productive than the U.S. Senate, choosing
their dog in just one day without fighting about
which one was best.

The girls and their mom, Susan, found their dog
through the Colorado Cell Dog Program. Dogs
rescued from shelters across statewide are brought
into the Prison Trained Dog Program (PTDP) for
obedience training; including lessons involving
house training, crate training, sit, sit-stay, down,
down-stay, come when called, basic heeling on lead
and even a few tricks.

After meeting several dogs, the Bennet girls picked
a small, black, Pomeranian mix. They decided to
name the dog Pepper, because he had lots of pep
and they say his personality was kind of "spicy."

After a few weeks of training, Pepper performed for
Susan and other future dog owners at the Denver
Women's Correctional Facility. His trainer, Christina
Collins explained why it's such a privilege to do this
job.