A Project Pooch participant, Jessie, and a dog in his care.

Eight young men stride down the sidewalk of a sunny, quiet campus. The snow-capped peak of Mt. Hood rises in the distance, framed by the razor-wire fences that surround the compound of low, long, brick buildings. Security guards in patrol cars track the youths’ movements from a safe, but unobtrusive, distance. Joan Dalton, a petite woman with red hair, chats easily with the youth, her ever-present two-way radio in hand.

The group reaches the last structure on campus—a simple white, single-story building with fine dog kennels running along its front. Smiles break across the youths’ faces as a chorus of excited barking greets them.

The young men call out to the dogs as Dalton unlocks the gate.

“Hey, Ginger.”

“Whatcha doing there, Mojo?”

“Miss me, Jake?”

The young men—aged 16 to 22—are at the start of their shift taking care of the dogs at the Project Pooch kennel at Oregon’s MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility. The dogs, like their caretakers, have known hard times: some were neglected, some abandoned, some just couldn’t learn to behave. But now, the dogs will be cared for, groomed, and trained, and then sent to new homes. The dogs have a second chance.

And so do the boys training them.

Ten Years of TLC
Located at a rear corner of MacLaren, a 270-acre campus in Woodburn, Oregon, a small rural town about 30 miles from Salem, Project Pooch is an independently run non-profit started by Joan Dalton in 1993.

As an administrator at MacLaren, a 460-bed locked facility for juvenile offenders aged 14 to 25 incarcerated for criminal offenses that range from theft and drug charges to sex offenses and murder, Dalton saw the tremendous need to help the young men she worked with turn their lives around.

“There were numerous obstacles for all the young men to overcome. It was difficult to even know where to begin. As principal of MacLaren’s high school, I was confronted constantly with 16- and 17-year old students who only had a few high school credits. An education was critical to helping them lead productive lives, so I was always looking for non-traditional ways for the students to earn credits,” Dalton explains.

Then the Delta Society, an organization committed to promoting human/animal bonds, invited her to meet with a prisoner who had read about a dog program in prison and wanted someone to start one in the prison in which he was incarcerated. “I couldn’t help out in the adult program, but I was in an ideal position to create one at a youth facility,” Dalton explains.

Not only would such a program give students a chance to earn high school credits for work experience, it would also give them a chance to experience the benefits of bonding with an animal. And the youths would have a chance to do something positive—to rescue an animal at risk of being euthanized.

The program began with one dog and one boy, and has grown to a fully equipped kennel that can house up to eight rescued dogs. The kennel also offers grooming and boarding services for dogs in the area.

At any given time, up to eight youths work in the program. Even more important than the job skills they learn, in Dalton’s view, are the lessons in patience and the power of love and trust.

Jessie’s Story
Jessie, a youth from a family with a history of drug abuse, poverty, and criminal activity illustrates what the program can do for incarcerated young men. His mother was the youngest girl ever incarcerated in Oregon, and she escaped six times while serving her sentence.

While his father was marginally involved in his life, Jessie recalls a number of “stepfathers,” some of whom were physically abusive. He remembers smoking his first joint with his mother when he was ten. He often cared for his three younger sisters.

When he applied to Pooch, Jessie didn’t expect much of the project. He had already completed his mandatory treatment program, was enrolled in the facility’s high school, and had held several jobs on campus. “The other jobs I’d worked were boring, and we were watched every minute. Working was better than being at the unit all day, and we were learning some job skills and keeping busy, I suppose, but mainly I was just passing time.”

But then Jessie heard Pooch was accepting applications. “I liked dogs,” he says. “So I thought I’d give it a try. I had no idea how much it’d mean to me to work here.”

Pets have always been important to Jessie, especially his first dog, a Chow. “I was five, and I swear our house was haunted. Windows slammed up and down. The phone kept on ringing after we answered it. The guy living downstairs blasted Ozzie Ozbourne 24-7. I was scared to death most of the time. But my big Chow would climb in my bed to protect me. No ghost was going to mess with a Chow.”

Jessie was thrilled when he was paired with a Chow as his first Project Pooch dog. “My first Chow was my hero, my savior, and here I got to have another one.”

“We’re All Accountable”
As a program participant, Jessie is expected to clock in and out, learn to train and groom dogs, and to help keep the kennel running. “It’s not just about playing with dogs,” he explains. “Pooch is a business. We’re all accountable. One of us messes up, it can affect everybody else. Ms. Dalton lets us have a say in how things go. The people who already work here help select who else we hire, and we choose the dogs we rescue by watching videos of dogs in shelters.”

While a few dogs have come to Pooch from vets, most of the dogs are from nearby Humane Societies and local animal shelters. The shelters don’t charge Pooch adoption fees. Vets and animal shelters sometimes initiate the call to Pooch, having heard about the program from the project Web site, from the monthly column the young men write for a regional monthly newspaper called Dog Nose News, or from word of mouth. Dalton videotapes the available dogs, and after watching the tape, the Pooch staff choose those they will adopt. They do not turn dogs away that have been labeled as “unadoptable,” and have successfully trained and placed every dog who has come to them carrying that stigma.

Once the dogs are “rehabilitated,” the youths make sure they wind up in loving homes. Potential owners must fill out an application. Dalton then does a home visit. After a placement, Dalton may visit the home again, or have one of the staff interview the family over the phone to make sure that the adoption is working.

Jessie says it feels great to find a good home for a rescued dog once he’s trained it. “It’s tough saying good-bye to your dog, but it’s a good feeling to find it a safe home. And you learn a lot while you’re getting it ready for a new life. Not just about training, but you also learn about patience and caring and figuring out the best way to communicate with someone.”

The Project
MacLaren residents who are interested in the program fill out applications, and Dalton runs a background check to ensure there is nothing to indicate a potential participant would hurt animals. Previous job skills are not as important as the desire to work with dogs and to gain job skills, and a willingness to commit to a team-oriented job.

Participants are involved in the day-to-day kennel operations, including assessing fees and recording payments. Some have used their artistic talents to design and develop promotional materials and thank-you cards. All learn computer skills as part of running the kennel.

The young men also spend time in sessions that teach them how to fill out applications, how to look for jobs, and how to dress for and behave in an interview. The participants get paid a nominal wage for working at Pooch, which Jessie says is a big bonus. “I like earning some money and being able to buy things. I don’t just hog what I earn to myself, either. I like to be generous.”

The project relies on donations and grants for funding, and Dalton insists that participants write personal thank you letters to donors. Dalton also believes that it’s important for the young men to learn to give as well as receive, so Project Pooch donates a portion of the money earned from grooming and other services to charity.

Success Stories
Close to 100 dogs have gone through the Project Pooch kennel and “graduated” to the role of household pet. Meanwhile, more than 100 young men have participated in the program; many have success stories that go far beyond simply staying out of trouble. The first participant has bred dogs since his release. One received a “Youth Making a Difference” award from Oregon’s governor. Several have made presentations to community and legislative groups since their release. Some are in college.

Pooch has been featured on Animal Planet and has been filmed for Japanese television. Dalton has presented her program in cities across the United States, and other groups are modeling programs after Pooch.

But to Dalton, the real success is seeing the participants grow, mature, and learn to relate to others. “Many of these young men have never had a good relationship before. They are afraid to trust, to open up. But with a dog, they slowly learn how to bond with someone. They are also involved in doing something very positive, and they begin to see themselves differently as a result. It’s incredible to watch the transformation.”

Resources:

• For more information, visit the Project Pooch Web site [1]
• Read a Dog Nose News column [2]
• Learn more about the MacLaren facility [3]
• Find out about the Delta Society [4]