[nagdu] Puppies behind bars

[Jenine Stanley]

When we visited, and things may have changed since then, each inmate kept a
journal of the puppy's activities and progress. I want to say there were
forms to be filled out about what the puppy did over the weekend, how it
reacted, etc. Records were shared between the two groups. 

Amazingly enough, there are a fare number of different environments within
the prison system, from vehicular traffic around places like the loading
docks, to crowds and lines in the dining hall. No, it's not like going to
Wall-Mart or being in a house with kids, other pets, carpeting, toys, all
the good distractions. <grin> 

I think what the people at PBB did was to really quantify the whole program
of prison training. Pilot had been doing puppy raising in prisons since the
early 1990's but other than handing off the puppy manual, there wasn't a lot
else done in terms of support. Other schools provided more substantial
support, and so may Pilot these days. I can only speak for what I heard back
in the mid '90's from prisons who had worked with them. 

PBB set a curriculum with staff full time to support the inmates and prison
staff in the program, something the schools can't always do. 

Now I think a number of the schools have taken a similar curriculum and
worked with prison staff to either have some school support on hand or teach
a staff member to provide that support. Either way, it was a good model and
works quite well from what I've seen. 
Jenine Stanley
jeninems at wowway.com