Rescue Dogs and Inmates at SCI Forest Give Each Other Second Chance at Life

FOREST CO., Pa. (EYT) – Inmates at SCI Forest are learning that they aren’t the only ones in need of a second chance.

(Photos by Dave Cyphert of ProPoint Media Photography.)

The Pups Are Worth Saving program, better known as PAWS, offers inmates an opportunity to learn a valuable skill while also saving animals in need and helping provide service and emotional support animals for people in need.

The program that was revamped from a previous program about four years ago by Unit Manager Yvette Perrin takes shelter animals in need of a home and focuses on training them to become service or emotional support animals.

According to Perrin, while she saw the need to revamp the previous program, it was the inmates who really helped to develop it into what it has become.

“They helped create the program we have now, from how we run things to the goals of the program,” she said.

Inmates interested in participating in the program must be minimum-security inmates and must undergo a stringent vetting process that begins with an application. If the inmate’s application is accepted, he moves on to a twelve-week probationary period. He is not paid for participation.

Depending on how the inmate performs, the following steps are taken: (1) he can either be removed from the program, (2) the probationary period can be extended, or (3) he can be accepted and begin working to earn a certification in dog training.

Paul Anthony, a former police chief and top-tier professional dog trainer from Industry, Pa., comes to the jail on a regular basis to work with the inmates on dog training skills without compensation. While the dogs do learn the same simple commands as many pets, such as “sit” and “down,” according to Perrin, they always aim for training at a higher level, working to see which dogs may be suitable as service animals.

Perrin noted that one dog trained by the program even became a certified service animal for a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper who was a paraplegic as a result of being wounded in the line of duty. Since each service dog is trained in a range of specific tasks, based on the need of its owner, that particular dog learned everything from the retrieval of items to opening handicap accessible doors.

While the primary goal of the program is to train dogs as service animals, the temperament of each dog must also be taken into account, and not every dog will be able to learn to function at the same level. Some dogs from the program become emotional support animals and others are adopted as pets, based on how the dog performs.

Currently, the program has five dogs being cared for by 11 inmates. Each dog stays with the inmates constantly, learning commands and becoming desensitized to noise and activity in the busy minimum-security housing unit.

One dog in the program, named Simba, was found tied to a car in the back yard of a residence.

According to inmate David, when Simba first arrived at the prison, he was “freaked out” by any noise, and he took some time to acclimatize; however, now he’s doing very well with his training.

Simba is being trained to work as a “stability assistance dog” for a woman with Multiple Sclerosis. He is learning commands that will allow his future owner to keep him by her side to help stabilize her when she has balance issues and help her to a seat when necessary or help her up off the floor if she falls.

Inmate David noted that the dog is “not a crutch” but will be able to help steady his future owner with a special harness adjusted to her specific height.

David, who has been working with dogs at the prison since the previous program was in place, has trained over 30 dogs and said the program has been good for him, as well.

“I want the best for the dogs and the best for me, and it’s a learning experience for both of us,” he said, noting that he’d also learned a lot about the importance of consistency and patience.

A second dog, Nala, is being trained in many of the same techniques as Simba.

Nala is being trained to assist a woman with muscular dystrophy. She will be able to help with her owner with stability, assist moving from sitting to standing, or help in the case of a fall.

Cookie – another dog that currently being trained through the PAWS program – will be going to a ten-year-old boy with autism as an emotional support animal.

“With emotional support animals, we’re not as stringent about behavior because they’re more for comfort than service animals,” said Inmate Jared.

Jared also noted that one of the things he likes about the program is that it is collaborative. Inmates often train the dogs in teams of two and also collaborate with other inmates in the program on the training.

While many of the dogs are trained to become service or emotional support animals, there are always a few that don’t have the proper temperament. Two of the dogs currently at SCI Forest fall into this category.

Bolt, a friendly pup who does know a range of basic commands and endearing tricks, is quick to bond with people he likes, but then suffers some issues with separation anxiety. Due to his temperament, he isn’t considered suitable to become a service animal. Perrin and his trainers are hoping to find a family to adopt him before he’ll have to be returned to the shelter in two weeks.

“He needs to go to a good home,” said Unit Manager Perrin.

Ace is another dog that will be looking for an adoptive family. His shy and skittish nature makes him unsuitable as a service animal, and in the busy confines of the minimum-security housing block, he hasn’t had much luck learning commands. However, in a quiet home, his sweet nature could make him an ideal family pet, according to Perrin.