Prison Dogs

Run with the bloodhounds and beagles as they track a prisoner through the scrub brush and bogs of the Florida panhandle. The prisoner they chase has tried to escape them before but never can. The convict knows his chances of success are limited--in the swamp, in the prison, and one day, when he's released. He's trained therapy dogs, bomb dogs, and even a police dog while in jail. He knows the dogs are relentless, but not as relentless as the ghost of a police officer that he left on the side of the road to die. Prison Dogs chronicles the real life story of a man who had lost his way in life, but with the unlikely help of fellow prisoners, professional dog trainers, and dedicated prison guards molds himself into a new man.

Guy Jones a natural athlete with a competitive spirit always had one foot on the slippery slope of life. The natural athlete turned into a natural fighter. Jones' path landed him in a Florida prison. Prison is one of Life's "Last Chance Hotels". They are designed so that a person can change his life if he chooses. You can learn a trade and further your education, but you have to do it in an over crowded jail, dominated by gangs, rife with drugs and violence. After their release, within one year, 60% run afoul with the law. Almost half return to prison. Jones swore to his unborn son, that he would never return to jail. Jones created a safety net that most prisoners don't enjoy. His made a net out of dogs. His path of change started with a bond of love with a little dog named Meadow that became a therapy dog for abused children. Jones discovered he has a skill as a trainer. In jail he trained, not only therapy dogs, but bomb detection dogs, police dogs, and tracking dogs. Changing a life can be like changing the course of the Titanic as it heads for an iceberg--one degree at a time. Meet those that helped change the path of a life: Prince, from the islands, taught Jones how to change a losing game ; dog named Faith taught him that the hatred of one man had no power over his life; sleep in the same cell as Elvis, a hitman that teaches Jones why evil is to be feared; meet a guard that gave Jones a second chance and another that never gave any one a chance. Transferred to a new prison, one haunted by ghosts, Jones confronts his own personal demon: the ghost of the police officer he hit with his car and left dead on the side of the road haunts him every day of his life. The ghost leads Jones to a spiritual awakening that gives him the strength to persevere. The story is gritty and sometimes sad, but at it's core shines the gift of free will, mankind's indomitable spirit, the power of forgiveness, and the unconditional love of dogs.

Stafford's Scottish mother taught her children that there were four great professions in this world: the ministry, education, the military, and medicine. All were great, in her estimation, because they served their fellowman. The author considered those four, tossed out the ministry because he thought preachers have any fun. Blood made his toes twitch so medicine and undertaking were eliminated. That left two. He served for over thirty years in the army retiring as a colonel. His employer sent him overseas thirteen times. To his credit the officer and a gentleman never caused an international incident. His love, however, was the classroom where he learned he could have been a minister or a stand-up comedian. He taught undergraduates public speaking, communications, and English. His happiest days were at Tuskegee University waiting to be discovered by MGM . Today you can find him behind his computer; sweating at the gym; swearing on the golf course; or playing duplicate bridge throughout the South. His favorite old sayings are: "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" and "He Who Hesitates is Lost".