MELBOURNE, Fla. – It's well known that most dogs and Fourth of July fireworks don't mix.

So this year, Florida inmates will visit animal shelters to cuddle with the dogs to calm their nerves during this year's holiday fireworks shows.

WOFL reports 15 inmates from the Brevard County Jail will be taken to the shelter on Thursday evening and spend time with the dogs.

The inmates will serve the dogs sorbet as a treat, and then sit with the animals to mellow them as the fireworks go off around the facility.

The program works for both the inmates and the dogs.

“It helps them to prepare for when they find their forever home, to be rehabilitated and integrated into that,” Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.

“The upside for the inmates is they’re learning to care for something, to be compassionate about something, and I think it’s a win-win for everybody across the board.”