Mean & dangerous dogs have a place, too...

Mean and dangerous dogs are usually euthanized - but in Boise, Idaho, they're given a job.

In fact, they hold important positions at the Idaho State Correctional Institution. Dogs have being doing sentry duty there for two decades, and in that time, no inmate has escaped.

Most of the dogs are German Shepherds, Rottweilers, or Belgian Malinois - a few are Boxers or Pit Bulls. In other words, they're big enough and strong enough to do serious damage to anyone foolish enough to invade their territory.

The entire prison is surrounded by an alley formed by two chain link and razor-wire fences, and inside those fences, 36 dogs share patrol duty. Each dog works for 2 days and then is given a day of play and rest in an indoor kennel. While they are aggressive toward any strangers, and protect their territory with snarls and barred fangs, they do bond with their regular trainers and handlers.

As fewer and fewer prisons across the nation take advantage of these "low tech security devices," dog handlers in Boise fear that with increased funding, the dogs may cease to be used. Prison officials say they do not want to see that day. The dogs are not only a cost savings, but are far more reliable than any human or mechanical device.

Their finely tuned senses of hearing and smell mean they can zoom in on someone approaching their fence even in the darkest night or the thickest fog - and unlike electronic devices, they don't fail when the power goes out.

Trainers will tell you that a dog is happiest when he has work to do - and this group certainly has work to do.