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| "Kiri" is a happy graduate of the AOCI Prison Program |
Prison Pet programs have
become a common feature in correctional institutions around the country. These programs take in shelter dogs and cats
and work with them so that they will be more adoptable. Some provide basic training for service dog
agencies. A few even work with horses.
Our own local facility, Allen Oakwood
Correctional Institution, has had an active and successful pet program for
quite a while. The AOCI program is
currently working with dogs provided by the Ohio SPCA (the former Humane
Society of Allen County) and local rescue group Deb’s Dogs. The program also works with cats, but the
main focus at AOCI is the rehabilitation and training of shelter and rescue dogs. The goal is to see every single one of them
in a good “forever” home. It lives up to
its official name: P.E.T.S. (Pets
Educated To Survive.)
When new dogs come in they
are assigned to a primary inmate handler who is responsible for the daily care
and training of the dog. There is also a
secondary handler for each dog, who will step in as needed to help. The dogs live in the handlers’ cells. The dogs are given time to become accustomed
to life in their new home before serious training begins. They learn to trust their new people, are
housetrained, and are gradually exposed to life in a prison setting.
Usually by the second week basic obedience
training begins. The dogs are taught using
the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen program as a rough guide. They learn to respond to the commands of Sit,
Down, Stand, and Stay. They learn to
walk nicely on a leash and to come when they are called. They learn proper greeting behavior and to be
handled by others. They are socialized to all sorts of people.
Near the end of their ten-week stay in the
prison, the dogs are run through the AKC Canine Good Citizen test, and most of
them pass. Those that aren’t able to
pass are given a certificate attesting to what they have learned and where problems still exist. The handlers work with behavior problems
along with the obedience training.
Typically these include separation anxiety, aggression, fear, resource
guarding, destructive activity, barking, and the like.
By the time a dog leaves the program his
behavior and training have improved dramatically. The handlers learn to be “jacks of all
trades” in this program and become proficient at obedience training, behavior
modification, and health care. Each dog
leaves with a detailed journal that gives specifics of the dog’s stay,
training, behavioral work, health, and temperament. This is given to the new owner when the dog
is adopted.
A very special service is
provided by the Vietnam Veterans group within the prison. They have generously offered to pay the
adoption fees for two exceptional dogs each year that receive additional
training and are placed with veterans suffering from PTSD or mild TBI
(traumatic brain injuries.) So far two
dogs have received this extra training and have become valued companions to
their veteran owners.
The handlers are a
dedicated group. Most are in the program
because they have a passion for working with dogs and they work hard to make
their charges ready for a permanent home.
They all value the companionship of their dogs, even if it is
temporary. And when the time comes for a
dog to return to the shelter, the hander may grieve the loss of his friend but
he will have the satisfaction of knowing that he probably saved that animal’s
life by making it adoptable.
The OSPCA is not doing any serious advertising of their prison-trained dogs at this time, but you will find some of these nicely-trained dogs there, just biding their time until they are discovered. The “Deb’s Dogs” animals are regularly featured at adoption events. If you adopt one of these great dogs, please consider taking a photo of your pet in its new home and send it, along with a note, to the handler who put his heart and soul into helping it get ready for life with you and your family. This small gesture means a lot.
By Dorothy Miner
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