Every day, we hear stories of perfectly healthy dogs that were euthanized at animal control shelters. It breaks our heart, and we wish there was a way to reduce the killing. In Lawrenceville, Georgia, they've come up with a way. And believe it or not, we have jail inmates to thank.
About a year and a half ago, Dennis Kronenfeld, animal rescuer and founder of the Society of Humane Friends of GA, saw that federal prisons had implemented a dog training program with their inmates. In conjunction with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Department (Sheriff Butch Conway and his wife are huge animal lovers), carefully selected inmates at the local jail are paired with dogs from animal control that are slated for euthanasia. The dogs live with the inmates and spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week with them. The inmates train, feed, and socialize the dogs, making them much more adoptable.
Having started a low-cost spay/neuter program at the local animal control shelter years ago, Dennis has developed close relationships with the staff there, who help him choose dogs that are slated for euthanasia that would benefit from the inmate program.
Called Operation Second Chance, this program gives inmates responsiblities and the ability to give back to the community, while simultaneously giving these dogs a second chance at life. There are currently about 20 inmates and dogs paired up in the jail, and last year, the program adopted out 70 dogs! This includes five of whom were adopted by the actual inmates once they left the jail.
"I treat inmates who have left the jail just like any other eligible adopter," said Dennis. "I do a home check and as long as everything needed is there, I approve the adoption."
But if the inmate ends up back in jail, he sacrifices the dog back to Dennis and has no more chances at adoption. And the inmates are taking it very seriously -- in fact, one of them reported a fellow inmate for not properly caring for his dog!
"They really care about the animals and this program," said Dennis. "In fact, I could see some of these inmates working in a training facility once they leave here."
Dennis went on to describe a dog currently in the program, a pit bull brought to animal control as a neglect case.
"This dog couldn't even stand up for being so weak. The shelter would not have been able to adopt that dog out. We took him into the program and knew this was his best chance of survival," said Dennis. "That dog is treated like a baby now. When he first came in, the inmates carried him around in his dog bed like a stretcher. They helped him stand and took him outside. The dog never left their sides."
Interested adopters fill out an application online, and then approved adopters go to the jail to meet with the dog and his inmate trainer, who will tell the potential adopter all about the dog. The inmate will also demonstrate how he's been training the dog so the training can be continued once the dog is adopted.
"In this jail, more of our prisoners are short-term, so we have a much bigger turnout. The trained inmates actually help to train new inmates in the program," said Dennis. "The best part about all the people involved is that they want to be there. No one has been assigned anything."
And that includes the inmates, many of whom want to get involved in the program, which Dennis said puts them on their best behavior because they won't be selected otherwise. Of course, no convicted animal or child abusers are allowed into the program.
"We take in all kinds of dogs for the program," said Dennis. "From chihuahuas to pit bulls, so we can introduce a variety of breeds and sizes for the inmates to learn about. This helps to show them that every dog is an individual."
This program has been so successful that even Hollywood wants a part of it! Amy Jackson, who owns five rescue pets, has created a series of webisodes through her production company, Karmalized Pictures, entitled Jail Dogs in 1C. Be sure to check out the first webisode (left) and then watch the rest on YouTube here.
"A lot of the dogs are terrified and disturbed when they first come into this program, but it gives the inmates and their dogs an opportunity to work through their issues together," said Amy. "So many of these inmates didn't know they had this in them. Animals just bring that out in people."
Dennis hopes that other counties across the country will institute this program, and he's willing to give advice to anyone who's interested! He acknowledges that each program has to be slightly different depending on the situation, but he said, "We can make it work. We just have to find a way."
Want to talk to Dennis about setting this up in your area? Email him at DK1011@aol.com with your phone number so he can call you.
Of course, the program doesn't run for free, and no taxpayer money is involved, so any monetary donations to Operation Second Chance for food or medical care are highly appreciated. You can mail a check to P.O. Box 1416, Lawrenceville, GA 30046 or click the "Donate" tab on the website to contribute electronically.
This program has saved many lives, and they weren't all canine.
Be sure to follow the Society of Humane Friends on Facebook here, and also follow Jail Dogs in 1C on Facebook here!
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