Prisoners Marek Kolar (R) and David Hejny are seen with 8-week-old dog puppies named Zirkon and Zeus on November 27, 2024, at the Jirice prison, located 60 km from Prague, Czech Republic. – AFP
As they serve their final year in prison, David Hejny and Marek Kolar are hard at work training puppies Zeus and Zirkon to become assistance dogs for the visually impaired. This initiative is part of a broader project aimed at helping inmates at the Jirice prison, northeast of Prague, better prepare for life after incarceration.
"It definitely helps you mentally, and you learn to be responsible, taking care of someone else," said 34-year-old Hejny, who is serving time in the open prison for drug dealing and human trafficking. Out of Jirice's 800 inmates, 29 live in bar-free houses, making it the only such establishment in the Czech Republic. The prison, which opened in 2017, was inspired by the Norwegian system, which prioritizes rehabilitation.
In addition to caring for the puppies, carefully selected inmates also look after other animals, including a llama and two kangaroos, and work in the prison garden. "The animals align with our concept of improving the work habits of the inmates," said Roman Farkas, a special educator at Jirice, standing by the prison's small football pitch. "They also act as a therapeutic element... as an anti-stress program," he added.
While the Czech recidivism rate for released convicts stands at 70 percent, Jirice's open prison boasts a significantly lower rate of 17.2 percent. On a chilly, foggy morning, Hejny and Kolar took the two-month-old Labrador Retriever pups on a leash and separated them to demonstrate what they have learned since their arrival on November 1.
The dogs, who are brothers, spend most of their time with the inmates. While Hejny's pup Zeus can sit and give the paw, Zirkon sniffs around, wagging his tail joyfully. "He's quite a rascal, and it's going to be challenging," said Kolar, cuddling the dog as he sat on a bed in the prison house. "Caring for the puppies brings us happiness—we're not lonely because we have someone here," added the 31-year-old, who was jailed for drug dealing and theft.
Jirice's inmates have so far raised 12 dogs. After a year, the prison returns them to an organization that then provides them to individuals with visual impairments. "The project is designed to socialize the puppies, teaching them to like people and familiarize them with the world around them," explained Farkas.
The inmates take the dogs to Prague to experience the metro, escalators, and shopping malls, helping them get accustomed to city life. Farkas noted that the coaches do not require a guard: "We trust them not to abuse their freedom."
The prison selects dog trainers for the "Paw in the Palm" project, inspired by a similar initiative in the United States, after evaluating their profiles, with prior experience being an advantage. Zirkon is the second dog trained by Kolar, who has always had a fondness for animals. "I will leave together with Zirkon, in October 2025," he said.
Hejny, who has 14 months left to serve, will hand over Zeus two months before his release. "They will take Zeus away after a year, and I will definitely be sad," he said. "So, I will buy a puppy when I get out."
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