OROVILLE — There was Whiskey in the chambers during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, but it was OK, because she was a dog.

Sheriff Kory Honea brought the German shepherd with the intoxicating name to the meeting to introduce the board to his department’s “Second Chance K9 for Veterans” program.

“She came with that name; I’m sure my staff didn’t name her,” Honea told the board.

The program is part of Alternative Custody Supervision, which puts people convicted of crimes in work programs rather than jail, to teach them job skills that “address the underlying causes of criminal behavior.”

The program links dogs from the Northwest SPCA in Oroville that might not be adoptable without training and socialization with inmates who take on that task. It’s a second chance for the dog for adoption and a second chance for the trainer to stay out of jail, Honea said.

The process takes 10 to 12 weeks and then the dogs are adopted out to veterans. The animals are screened and trained to either be companion dogs or post-traumatic stress disorder service dogs.

So far, 19 dogs have been adopted to veterans, Honea said.

The inmates participating in the program haven’t gone on to become dog trainers, he said, but a lot of skills learned are transferable to other professions.

“A key component is when you learn to do selfless things for another being, understanding all along that you’re going to fall in love with that dog, but you have to give the dog to somebody else so they can benefit,” Honea said. “That’s a pretty incredible skill set to develop.”