Ten ways you know your dog was trained by a Missouri prison inmate

Inmates at 12 Missouri prisons have been training dogs that were rescued by animal shelters, the Missourian reports this morning, part of the Department of Corrections’ Puppies for Parole program. The program has trained 200 dogs across the state, and more are on the way.

And these aren’t small-time criminals teaching your future pup how to sit and stay. The Missourian doesn’t mention this, but the two inmates featured in its story — Derek Holmes and Ricky Kidd — are both serving life sentences for murder. Which doesn’t trouble me, but I imagine it might trouble the most ardent dog lovers among us.

Don’t want a dog that was trained by a cold-blooded killer? No problem! You’ll know your pet went through the Puppies for Parole program if he …