Cold noses & warm hearts
DWCRC inmates care for dogs awaiting adoptionNEW ENGLAND — With wagging tails and lots of energy, five dogs of all shapes and sizes run around in a yard in New England on a Monday afternoon.
By: Beth Wischmeyer, The Dickinson Press
- DWCRC inmates and their dogs
- Heather Peck
- Gina Hoffner
NEW ENGLAND — With wagging tails and lots of energy, five dogs of all shapes and sizes run around in a yard in New England on a Monday afternoon.
They play ball, play in the sprinklers and get treats from their caretakers. While it sounds like an average scene, the five dogs live inside the fences of a correctional facility and their caretakers are inmates.
As part of a recent cooperative effort between the Dakota Women’s Correctional Rehab Center here and Oreo’s Animal Rescue in Dickinson, dogs awaiting adoption go to inmates within the DWCRC, where they are taken care of 24 hours a day.
“We’ve been talking about it for a few years now, but it just never went any further,” said Rachelle Brewer, treatment services director for DWCRC. “We got our first two dogs in March and it’s really been great.”
Five dogs reside within the walls of the facility, four of them being temporary. Frankie, a sheltie mix, was recently adopted by the facility as a full-time resident at DWCRC.
“Most of the dogs that go there (the facility) are those that we’ve rescued out of the city pound,” said Shelley Quandt, director of Oreo’s Animal Rescue. “We bring them up here, evaluate them, get them spayed, neutered, vaccinated and that kind of thing and then we do assess their personalities to see if they’d be good in that type of environment.”
During the animals’ time in the facility, they are socialized and taught basic commands to make them good matches for homes in the future, she added.
“They become house broke and they get to interact with a lot of other dogs there and people,” Quandt said. “It’s a really good program; it helps us get them ready for a forever home.
“It gives the girls something positive to be doing with their time and we’ve sent dogs there that have been somewhat shy and not ready for a home and come out much better socialized knowing more than what they did.”
Since the group works only through foster homes, allowing some dogs to stay at DWCRC gives the group time to find homes, she added.
So far, about 10 dogs have gone through the program and have been adopted.
Inmates that want to participate in the program, which can handle up to eight dogs at a time, must first volunteer with Brewer, who selects inmates with no disciplinary issues.
“We have primaries which are the main caretakers for the dogs. We usually pick those women who have been here between three and six months to be involved with the program,” Brewer said. “Then we have alternates which babysit the dogs when the primaries are at work.”
Inmates involved with the program are serving time for a variety of charges such as probation revocation, unauthorized use of personal I.D. as well as usage of controlled substances.
The dogs, which sleep in the inmates cells in kennels, are fully taken care of by the inmates, from feeding and grooming to letting the dogs out to go to the bathroom.
Gina Hoffner, inmate primary caregiver of Tug, a black and white collie mix, said this is her second dog through the program and has enjoyed being involved with it.
“I’m a dog person,” Hoffner said. “I had kids who had dogs so I’ve been around them. Tug sits still for me and I groom him sometimes three times a day because he sheds so much. He really likes his tummy rubbed.”
Hoffner said she expects to stay in the facility until around October, and said she’ll miss having Tug around, but will be glad to b going home.
“We have a no-touch policy here and it’s something we can touch and hold and hug and kiss, especially when you’re having a bad day,” said Angela Bray, inmate and primary caregiver to Lacey, a black Pomeranian. “It’s like they know when you’re having a bad day and they’ll just come over and lay by you or give you a kiss.
It’s definitely been worth it being in the program, it’s like having an infant all over again, they rely on you to take care of them.”
While the inmates don’t have any formal dog obedience training, they do study DVD’s with famed dog behavior specialist Cesar Millan to get ideas of how to train their animals.
“We’ve hardly had any issues with the dogs and the inmates,” Brewer said. “It’s a big commitment for them. They really put a lot of work into them and even the girls who don’t have the dogs tolerate having them around. The dogs can go just about everywhere, including the library and some of their classes.”
Dogs that are kept at the facility stay for varying lengths of times, but the majority stay between two and three months, until they are found homes through Oreo’s.
Having the animals around gives inmates a sense of drive and responsibility back, said Heather Peck, inmate and primary caregiver for Kimmy, a brown and white spaniel.
“You keep your sense of sanity,” Peck said. “It’s really pleasant having them around. I’m very strict with her and teach her discipline. I also give her love and she gives it to me in return.”
Shawna Voeller, an alternate with the program, said this is the second time she’s been in the New England facility, and says since getting involved with the dog program things have changed.
“I left here with I don’t know how many write-ups,” Voeller said. “This time it’s different because you have to maintain certain behavior to be a part of the program. I don’t want to lose being in the program.”
Parting ways with the animals can be tough, both on the inmates and the animals, the women agreed.
“Having the animals here has been really good for the inmates,” Brewer said. “It keeps them busy. It’s really my favorite part of the job.”
The program is not all one sided, said Voeller.
“They help us and we help them in return,” Voeller said. “You really get to know all of them and they all get to know you.”
For a complete listing of animals up for adoption through Oreo’s Animal Rescue, visit www.lovingpetsinneed.com
Tags: new england, oreos animal rescue, dwcrc, news, local
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