Aberdeen:

Offenders at Stafford Creek Corrections Center (SCCC), a state run prison facility located in Aberdeen, Washington, gives shelter dogs a second chance at life. Offenders make the dogs more viable for adoption by teaching some socialization, housetraining, and much needed obedience skills.

Stafford Creek and North Beach PAWS worked together to launch this program that has proven to be beneficial for both offenders and dog thus giving offenders a sense of purpose and the dogs a chance for a happy life in stable homes.

The process:

The process starts by selecting dogs to participate in the program. Debra Thomas-Blake, a SCCC volunteer, works with North Beach PAWS to gather dogs from various shelters in Grays Harbor and surrounding counties. The dogs obtained for the program are usually strays or owner donated to the shelters for various reasons. When the dogs arrive at SCCC, they typically have kennel stress, no manners, and sometimes medical issues. The Freedom Tails program gives them some structure in their lives, good grooming, housetraining, some socialization, and the ability to trust humans again.

Where the dog lives:

Housing unit H-3 is where dogs in the program are kept. They are in the cell with the offender trainers. Each cell has a large airline approved dog crate and necessary supplies, to include enough food for the week. An outside yard is established in front of the program’s living unit where the dogs may play and run, as well as joint obedience training by their offender dog trainers.

When training begins:

Once all the dogs are at the facility, they begin an eight week training program with their assigned offender dog trainer.

The dogs are given a colored bandana to indicate the level of training they have received and to indicate if the dog is safe around other people. All dogs are given an Orange bandana when they first arrive to indicate the dog has not received any training and may not be safe to approach. A Yellow bandana indicates a dog may be approached if the dog trainer gives permission. The Green bandana indicates the dog has been trained and is approachable. Dogs wearing a Yellow or Green bandana are allowed to go with the offender trainer to programs, work, or recreation. Not all areas in the facility are accessible, such as the industries area or the recreations hobby shop, due to safety concerns. Other areas that are out of bounds due to security issues include the dining hall and officer stations.

SCCC Volunteer dog trainer teaches offender trainers’ techniques for basic obedience commands such as sit, sit/stay, down, down/stay, stand, stand/stay, heel, come, return to heel, and leave it. The training is conducted in the education department class room or the yard located in front of the H-3 living unit. Staff and the volunteer trainers observe how each dog is progressing with training instructions. New tasks are given for the following week if the dog progresses.

The results:

The Washington Department of Corrections (DOC) is dedicated to re-training offenders while they are incarcerated so when they re-enter the community they have more life skills. This will help them become productive citizens in the community. The dog program teaches the offender dog trainers responsibility, compassion, and patience. The offenders feel good about giving back to the community while utilizing their new found skills.

The dogs benefit from good care, attention, food, training, and love from the offenders assigned to them. The dogs are advertised on the internet by NB PAWS and in local community publications so they can be adopted and placed in good homes.