MARY JO NAGY | Pets Inmates train dogs, and everyone wins

This column was developed with the assistance of Reagan Bailey from an article she did for Halo, the Angels for Animals publication.
A prison obedience-training program for an animal shelter?
At Angels for Animals, it is a comprehensive, ongoing program designed to provide one-on-one training for selected stray dogs that come through the doors of our shelter. The program not only benefits the dogs but also the prison system, the inmates, the adopting public and the community at large. There are similar programs around the state and across the country assisting other animal shelters.
The program begins with a dog trainer-canine behavior specialist who directs the obedience training with prison staff and inmates at selected prisons. The trainer uses only positive training techniques. Our trainer educates the chosen inmates on proper training, socializing and handling of the dogs. Once an inmate's training is completed, he is paired with a dog for approximately eight weeks. The inmates hone their skills, reaching higher skill levels with each new dog and success.
The basics of the program call for the dog to be housebroken, crate-trained and initiated into the work of basic obedience commands. They learn to sit, stay, come, heel, lie down and shake, and some even learn how to play dead or roll over. The dogs become well socialized with people and other dogs. They are bathed and brushed regularly and given the most important component of all, loving care.
Many lives saved
These animals that have been written off as terrible and unruly now become great family companions. Abused animals that showed great fear transform into confident, social, friendly animals that would fit into any home. Dogs that were out of control and dumped like garbage by their owners become well-mannered, obedient dogs. The number of canine lives saved by this program is immense.
When the dogs complete training, they are ready for adoption at the shelter. Dogs that have been prison-trained are in high demand. Many people apply for dogs up to 2 months in advance in hopes that they are chosen. If they miss out, some people will wait until new prison-trained dogs come along.
In addition to the shelter's benefits from this program, the prison system itself sees rewards. An enormous amount of community service hours are invested. It has been reported that the prison experiences less trouble with the inmates in general, a fact that can be attributed to the calming affect that pets have on people.
Morale boost
An elevated morale comes from performing such a wonderful service. The inmates feel proud, and involvement in the program instills feelings of usefulness that have probably been absent for much of their lives.
In other programs, inmates questioned about what is the best part of the program have said they felt as though they were trusted, and it made them feel like their lives were worthwhile.
Angels for Animals, as well as many other shelters, has found that it has become an invaluable tool in the job of rehabilitating and finding homes for unwanted dogs. Without this program, many of these dogs would likely spend months waiting for that special home or they would be returned to the shelter numerous times.
Gone are the days of watching the saddest cases sitting, waiting and deteriorating within the confines of the kennels watching people pass them by for more desirable dogs. As a result of the prison training program, these dogs are snapped up as soon as they become available. In the end, these dogs have become the stars of the shelter.
XMary Jo Nagy is a volunteer with Angels for Animals.