Hounds for Heroes at SCI-Dallas Inmates at SCI-Dallas raise puppies to be companies for veterans

JACKSON TWP. — Sarg sat behind his handler’s legs in the concrete hallway of Block I at SCI-Dallas watching inmates involved in their daily duties.

The 4-month-old black Labrador Retriever wagged his tail to greet those who approached him and his handler, Tom.

Next door, 5-month-old Colonel resides with Nathaniel and across the hall, rambunctious 3-month-old Knight lives with Michael.

Hounds for Heroes

The three puppies are the first to be admitted to the facility’s new Hounds for Heroes program. The dogs arrived Dec. 6, and three more are expected in February, said Jim Marsico, unit manager at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas.

“We would like to receive three dogs every three months,” Marsico said. “We are in the process of selecting more inmate handlers.”

The canine program is organized in conjunction with American VetDogs, a nonprofit corporation that provides and trains service dogs for military veterans.

“We wanted to institute a dog program at SCI-Dallas for a long time,” Marsico said. “We chose American VetDogs because we have many staff members who are military veterans and have the Veteran Services Unit to help inmates who are veterans prepare to be released.”

The Smithtown, New York-based nonprofit breeds its dogs and provides food, medical care and once-a-week visits by a trainer, Marsico said.

SCI-Dallas is one of the last correctional institutions in the state to implement a dog training program, said Robin Lucas, the prison superintendent’s assistant.

Renewed purpose

The program not only provides injured veterans a companion but also aids in the rehabilitation of inmates.

“The dogs gives us a purpose,” Tom said. “They add a little humanity to our lives.”

“It is a 24-hour job,” Nathaniel said. “It is like taking care of a child.”

Michael said being a dog handler provides a touch of home life to the prison.

“You wake up to a dog that wants to go out,” he said.

The three men have access to a secured outdoor area for the pups to use whenever needed.

“We just need to let the guards know,” Nathaniel said.

Marsico said the inmates’ cells are approved to have a dog bed and chew toys that help when the dogs are teething.

The three men and their assistants, known as second handlers, take caring and training the pups seriously.

The men had to submit applications to become dog handlers and must meet certain criteria, which includes having over a year remaining on their sentence, no disciplinary reports for a year, the nature of their crime and rehabilitation motivation, Lucas said.

Angela Roggenhofer, a service dog trainer with American VetDogs, teaches the men how to handle the dogs.

She comes to the facility once a week to see what the puppies have accomplished, Michael said.

Michael is currently working with Knight to teach him not to pull on his lease when he walks.

“That is a challenge,” Michael said. “Knight has learned other commands such as sit and stay.”

Sarg, Colonel and Knight are also practicing to sit next to a wheelchair, Nathaniel said.

The Hounds for Heroes program has had a positive effect on the other inmates, as well.

Knight’s second handler said one inmate who is grieving the death of his 25-year cellmate visits the dogs every day.

‘Weekend Puppy Raisers’

The pups’ training at SCI-Dallas will last for 12 to 14 months, Marsico said. The dogs live in the inmates’ cells with their handlers Monday through Friday. On the weekends, they venture out into the community with volunteer ‘Weekend Puppy Raisers.’

‘Weekend Puppy Raisers pick up one of the dogs and takes them home to help in the socialization process,” Marsico said.

Volunteers receive a sheet of instructions prepared by the inmate stating what commands the dog has mastered, Marsico said.

“They initiate the dog to the outside world,” he said, adding volunteers are encouraged to take the dogs everywhere like baseball games, movies, weekend errands, so the canine gets used to being around other people, cars and noises.

Marsico said the same family takes the same dog every weekend to ensure a sense of routine for the pup.

“It is tough to see them leave on the weekends,” Nathaniel said.

With more dogs expected in February, Marsico is looking to encourage more volunteers to sign up to be Weekend Puppy Raisers. Applications are available at www.vetdogs.org.

When the dogs’ term at the Jackson Township facility is finished, they will go to Smithtown, New York, where America’s VetDogs trainers will introduce a higher level of training geared to prepare the canines to meet the needs of a particular veteran.

Marsico said when the dogs leave, three new puppies will arrive for Tom, Nathaniel and Micheal to begin training.