PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - If Zoey could talk, she would likely tell a sorrowful tale.
Police confiscated the border collie cross several weeks ago during a drug raid on a Umatilla County house. They took the dog to the Pet Rescue animal shelter, where she shied away from strangers.
A month later, Zoey is a changed pooch. She greets people with her tail wagging and her brown eyes free from fear.
The transformation took place in what might seem the unlikeliest of places - a prison. Inside the Two Rivers Correctional Institution, 18 inmates train rescue dogs for adoption. Richland dog trainer Tracy Hill runs weekly sessions in the prison’s visiting room. Six dogs each have a team of three inmates at its bark and call. One inmate serves as primary trainer and the other two (a secondary trainer and a “sitter”) fill in the gaps.
The program kicked off about a month ago. If all goes to plan, the dogs will be ready for adoption eight to 10 weeks from when they arrived at the prison.
Zoey spends the bulk of her days with her primary trainer, inmate Justin Schiller-Munnemann. He picks her up at the recently constructed prison kennels each morning and takes her back each evening.
“She goes wherever I go,” Schiller-Munnemann said.
When he needs a break or has a conflict, either secondary trainer Philip Florek or sitter Geoff Hendrickson takes over.
At first, Zoey was timid. She startled when prison doors clanked open and shut. She refused to climb the metal staircase leading to his second-floor cell. Schiller-Munnemann sat down on the stairs and coaxed her up one step at a time.
During training sessions, Zoey learns basic obedience and manners. Each week, her trainers take her through a different scenario. One week, the visiting room became a farmer’s market. This week, Schiller-Munnemann and Zoey visited a pretend veterinarian’s office where Hill examined the dog by running her hands over her soft brindle, black and white fur. Afterwards, Schiller-Munnemann stopped by a makeshift receptionist’s desk and pretended to write a $250 check. Zoey sat patiently. Schiller-Munnemann slipped her a kibble from his pocket.
By the end of the training, the six dogs should be able to pass the American Kennel Club Good Citizens test. The canines must sit politely for petting, react calmly to the approach of a friendly stranger, walk on a loose lead, come when called and behave politely around other dogs. They must react to unexpected distractions without panicking, barking or running away.
Hill distracted the dogs during this week’s session by doing jumping jacks and having inmate trainers and assistant instructors whistle, clap and yell.
Hill said all the dogs have come far, but none have come out of their shell more than Zoey.
“When she came in, she wanted nothing to do with anybody,” Hill said. “She cowered.”
Hill, who runs 4 Paws DogWorks in Richland, said the inmate trainers benefit as much as the dogs, or more.
“I’ve watched the relationships between dogs and inmates grow to the point where I’m amazed,” she said.
The men each had to apply for their positions, like any job in the real world. Some were invited for interviews. Fewer received invites for a round of second interviews.
The inmates say having dogs among the prison population is healing. David Keever, a sitter, said he witnessed a tattooed lifer get down on his knees and bury his face in a dog’s fur.
“A lot of us haven’t seen a dog for a long time,” Keever said. “They do a lot for your soul. They mend a lot of holes.”
Schiller-Munnemann takes Zoey when he visits a friend in the prison hospice program.
“Everyone in the infirmary lights up when Zoey comes in,” he said. “One guy with tears in his eyes said he hadn’t petted a dog for 20 years.”
Members of the public will have a chance to interact with the six dogs during a meet and greet April 16 at 1:30 p.m., on the lawn near the TRCI administrative offices. Those who want to adopt one of the dogs may fill out adoption papers. If more than one person requests the same dog, a name will be picked from a hat. The owners will have the opportunity to go inside the prison and watch their dog interacting with its trainer. Owners will receive training logs kept by the trainers. The adoption fee is $150.
The trainers are keeping their mission in mind. Zoey’s secondary trainer, Philip Florek, came up with a creative slogan for the program: “From no house to the big house to your house.”
After the current batch of dogs leaves, another group will arrive. Roles among each dog team member will switch. Schiller-Munnemann said he will miss Zoey when she leaves, but he’s determined to remain philosophical.
“We’ve all gotten attached,” he said, “but the whole point of the program is to rescue the dogs and make sure they go on to a better life.”
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Information from: East Oregonian, https://www.eastoregonian.info
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