Wanted: A four-legged rehab specialist, must love people

April 16, 2013

The photo on this month’s issue of LET comes with a good story. Shea Wilson, communications administrator for the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) sent us the photo and wrote, “This is Anthony and Howard, a St. Bernard who was grossly underweight when he arrived in the program…Howard weighed about 60 pounds. Anthony Whaler is a former inmate. He recently paroled and adopted the last dog he trained at the Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern, Ark. Howard found his forever home with a family that had another St. Bernard. He is now a healthy weight and a very happy dog.”

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies have long patrolled side-by-side with four-legged specialists. These well-heeled dogs are unmatched when it comes to detecting explosives, narcotics, hydrocarbon and cadavers. They often provide that extra bit of ‘force multiplication’ with their tracking and rescue abilities. In a no-nonsense profession like law enforcement it’s especially intriguing to see how, exactly animals fit in. But these intelligent creatures aren’t merely tasked with helping to patrol the streets and sniffing high school lockers for illegal substances; furry companions continue to prove their worth in prisons, too.

The Arkansas Department of Corrections partners with CARE for Animals out of Little Rock, Arkansas as a rescue resource for Paws in Prison dogs like Howard. The privately funded Paws in Prison places shelter dogs within corrections facilities for approximately six weeks of hard-core obedience training and socialization—conducted by ADC inmate handlers in preparation for the dogs’ eventual adoption through CARE. Professional dog trainers impart the necessary skills to inmates, who in turn train and care for the dogs. While undergoing 24/7 rehabilitation, the dogs live with their inmate handlers.

It’s a feel-good approach with good intentions…and everything to show for it. In fact, many of these programs report 100 percent success rates, meaning, after a rehabilitative period with inmates, dogs and cats experience a marked improvement in their health and wellbeing. They become fit for adoption into loving homes. In some cases, the newly reformed canines become top-level service dogs, guide dogs, or military therapy dogs. America’s VetDogs (Smithtown, New York) pooches go through a basic training of sorts inside maximum security prisons so that someday a wounded vet might live a life of self-reliance.

It’s hard to say who benefits most. Incarcerated individuals in these programs practice caring for a living thing. They are taught useable skills like grooming, handling and care; many former inmates find jobs on the outside. At the very least, in day-to-day operations Paws in Prison and similar orgs serve as a bridge between inmate and officer, lightening the mood and providing something to talk about. Socialization improves all-around.

Dogs aren’t the only animals tasked with raising morale in jails across the country. Lincoln County (Nebraska) jail has adopted cats that live with inside the facility. The cats purportedly decrease stress levels behind bars, and the folks who live there line up to clean litter boxes and provide care. In New Mexico, prisoners successfully gentled and re-homed wild mustangs.

There’s a reason why prisons across the country are adopting programs that incorporate animal care. They work.

Does your facility have a program involving animals? We’d love to hear about it!

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