One puppy she donated to TDCJ to be trained to snuff out narcotics in North Texas prisons. Another she gave to a Fort Bend County deputy sheriff who would have otherwise had to pay for the pup from his own pocket. Still another she gave to a friend just to be a dutiful pet. What I try to do is guide people into picking the right breed to fit their job. If his job is to take care of you when you come home and make you feel better, then that's his job, and it's okay.
People have to have a purpose, and dogs have to have a purpose.
After more than 28 years of state service, Cardwell is looking forward to retiring in two years and going to work training drug dogs for a private firm. Then as now, she'll train other dogs for various jobs and continue to rescue breeds that too often suffer the fate of Easter bunnies and the Dalmatian, one of the latest canines to gain popularity on the big screen. Cute and cuddly as infants, their owners sometimes see them as ugly ducklings once grown. They go out and pay big money to get this dog and then eight months later the dog weighs 100 pounds, and it's not fuzzy, and it's not cute anymore. Dogs, any dog, will always be darling to Cardwell.