Author: Hailey VanderWilt, Communications Coordinator
If you missed the first blog in this series, Inside the PAWS Prison Partner Program: Why Do PAWS Dogs Go to Prison?, start there to learn more about the foundation of the program. Then return here to explore the human impact of PAWS’ Prison Partner Program!
“The dogs basically tell you it’s okay to live.”
For one inmate dog handler in the PAWS Prison Partner Program, those words capture the impact of the program that goes far beyond dog training.
While the Prison Partner Program plays an important role in preparing future Paws With A Cause (PAWS) working dogs, it also creates opportunities for growth, purpose, and personal transformation for the people who help train them.
Finding Purpose
Inmate handlers in the Prison Partner Program are carefully screened before being selected to work with PAWS dogs.
Once accepted, they become responsible for providing daily care, training, exercise, and companionship for their canine partners.
For many, the experience offers something they haven’t felt in a long time: purpose.
One inmate described entering prison feeling like he had “given up on everything.”
“When they started introducing the dog programs, I decided I’d finally try it,” he said. “It kind of gave me a sense of purpose.”
Another participant shared a similar sentiment.
“It gave us something normal, something that we’ve lost.”
Knowing that the dogs will someday go on to help people and organizations throughout the community creates a powerful sense of responsibility and connection.
“It’s something they can give back to the community,” said PAWS Prison Program Coordinator.
Building Skills for the Future
The impact of the program extends beyond training dogs.
In recent years, PAWS has intentionally expanded the educational opportunities available to inmates, helping them develop practical skills that can benefit them after release.
In addition to dog training techniques, inmates learn about training management, class instruction, grooming, and even the fundamentals of running a dog-training business.
“[We] want them, when they get out of prison, to be able to have some skills under them,” said PAWS’ representative. “To learn how to teach classes, to learn how to set up a business for training.”
For some inmate handlers, the experience has inspired future career goals.
One inmate shared that after working with PAWS dogs, he has continued studying dog training and hopes to pursue similar work after leaving prison.
The program helps inmates develop responsibility, patience, communication skills, and confidence, qualities that can support success in many different paths.
Creating Positive Change
The benefits of the program aren’t limited to the inmate handlers. Since the program began, PAWS dogs have made a positive impact throughout the correctional facilities where they live and train.
“The dogs are a very big part of the whole prison program, not only for the inmates, but for the staff,” said PAWS Prison Program Coordinator.
Whether it’s providing comfort during a difficult day or creating opportunities for positive interaction, the dogs help foster a more supportive environment.
The emotional impact can be significant.
One participant recalled losing a family member and struggling with grief while incarcerated.
“The first dog I had came over and put his paw on me and gave me a hug,” he said. “I hugged him back, and it changed everything.”
PAWS has heard countless stories about the difference the program makes.
“One of the guys came up to me and said, ‘Before I did this program, I was taking three different medications for anxiety. Once I got the dog, I went down to one.'”
A Partnership That Benefits Everyone
At its core, the Prison Partner Program is about transformation.
The dogs gain valuable training and experience. Correctional facilities gain a positive and meaningful program. Inmates gain purpose, responsibility, and practical skills that can help shape their futures.
Most importantly, the program creates opportunities for people to contribute to something bigger than themselves.
“The dogs basically tell you it’s okay to live,” one participant said. “I used to walk around with my head down. After joining the program, I started looking up again.”
That’s what makes PAWS’ Prison Partner Program so special.
“That’s why we exist every day,” said Michele Suchovsky, CEO of Paws With A Cause. “The prison program is a win for the community because it means we’re having a real impact on those inmates and helping them build important life skills that help them be successful wherever they end up in their lives.”
In many ways, growth happens at both ends of the leash.
To hear directly from inmate handlers and see the program in action, watch the full video feature:
“Paws With A Cause: Training Service, Finding Purpose” — Mutually Inclusive, WGVU Public Media
Source:
Paws With A Cause: Training Service, Finding Purpose — Mutually Inclusive, WGVU Public Media (video).
