SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Onondaga County officials hope man's best friend will improve inmates' behavior at the Jamesville penitentiary through a new program that could also save the lives of some stray dogs.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney has proposed building a $350,000 kennel at the jail, where inmates would care for and train stray dogs that might otherwise be euthanized.
"We thought we could address the issue of having too many stray dogs and also come up with something constructive for those incarcerated at Jamesville to do," said Ben Dublin, Mahoney's chief of staff. "It will teach inmates how to take care of the dogs, and it will help get those dogs adopted."
The dogs would come from the DeWitt Animal Hospital, which takes in stray dogs from Syracuse. Most of the dogs have to be euthanized because the hospital doesn't have enough space.
According to Mahoney's proposal in her 2014 budget, animal welfare groups would volunteer at the kennel and would work to get the dogs adopted after they complete the program. 'Cuse Pit Crew, an animal welfare group that helps place dogs in homes, would be one of those groups.
"You're creating a relationship between the dog and the inmate," said Stefanie Heath-Higgins, of the 'Cuse Pit Crew. "You're providing that inmate with self-esteem and purpose."
The kennel would house 20 to 25 dogs at a time. The dogs selected for Jamesville Correctional Facility would need moderate behavioral training, such as housebreaking and learning simple commands, before they could be adopted, said Kerry Driscoll, manager of the DeWitt Animal Hospital.
"They're looking for dogs that might not be immediately adoptable - dogs that need basic obedience training to get more people interested in adopting them," Driscoll said.
The jail would not take in aggressive dogs, Heath-Higgins said.
An investigation by The Post-Standard in February found that Syracuse puts to death a higher percentage of stray dogs than other Upstate cities. Of the 910 dogs delivered in 2012 to the DeWitt Animal Hospital, 573 - or 63 percent - were euthanized.
The Onondaga County Correctional Facility houses about 500 inmates who have been convicted of crimes and sentenced to less than a year in jail. Jamesville already has a variety of work programs for inmates, including raising pheasants that are released for hunters.
Construction on the kennel could begin in spring, Dublin said, if the county Legislature includes funding in the final budget to be adopted Oct. 8.
The program could help inmates in rehabilitation, he said.
"There's a lot of research out there that shows (working with dogs) is therapeutic," Dublin said.
A similar program at the Albany Correctional Facility, where dogs live in cells with inmates, has improved behavior of inmates at the jail, said the animal welfare group that helps with the program.
"They're getting better behavior from the inmates, both from the relaxing presence of the dogs and because you have to be on good behavior to qualify for the program," said Brad Shear, executive director of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. "It's pretty much the best job you can get in the jail."
The Albany program started this spring, and places two dogs at a time. All six dogs that have gone through the program have been adopted, Shear said.
Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251.
via www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/dogs_inmates_jamesville_jail_joanie_mahoney_onondaga_county.html
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney has proposed building a $350,000 kennel at the jail, where inmates would care for and train stray dogs that might otherwise be euthanized.
"We thought we could address the issue of having too many stray dogs and also come up with something constructive for those incarcerated at Jamesville to do," said Ben Dublin, Mahoney's chief of staff. "It will teach inmates how to take care of the dogs, and it will help get those dogs adopted."
The dogs would come from the DeWitt Animal Hospital, which takes in stray dogs from Syracuse. Most of the dogs have to be euthanized because the hospital doesn't have enough space.
According to Mahoney's proposal in her 2014 budget, animal welfare groups would volunteer at the kennel and would work to get the dogs adopted after they complete the program. 'Cuse Pit Crew, an animal welfare group that helps place dogs in homes, would be one of those groups.
"You're creating a relationship between the dog and the inmate," said Stefanie Heath-Higgins, of the 'Cuse Pit Crew. "You're providing that inmate with self-esteem and purpose."
The kennel would house 20 to 25 dogs at a time. The dogs selected for Jamesville Correctional Facility would need moderate behavioral training, such as housebreaking and learning simple commands, before they could be adopted, said Kerry Driscoll, manager of the DeWitt Animal Hospital.
"They're looking for dogs that might not be immediately adoptable - dogs that need basic obedience training to get more people interested in adopting them," Driscoll said.
The jail would not take in aggressive dogs, Heath-Higgins said.
An investigation by The Post-Standard in February found that Syracuse puts to death a higher percentage of stray dogs than other Upstate cities. Of the 910 dogs delivered in 2012 to the DeWitt Animal Hospital, 573 - or 63 percent - were euthanized.
The Onondaga County Correctional Facility houses about 500 inmates who have been convicted of crimes and sentenced to less than a year in jail. Jamesville already has a variety of work programs for inmates, including raising pheasants that are released for hunters.
Construction on the kennel could begin in spring, Dublin said, if the county Legislature includes funding in the final budget to be adopted Oct. 8.
The program could help inmates in rehabilitation, he said.
"There's a lot of research out there that shows (working with dogs) is therapeutic," Dublin said.
A similar program at the Albany Correctional Facility, where dogs live in cells with inmates, has improved behavior of inmates at the jail, said the animal welfare group that helps with the program.
"They're getting better behavior from the inmates, both from the relaxing presence of the dogs and because you have to be on good behavior to qualify for the program," said Brad Shear, executive director of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society. "It's pretty much the best job you can get in the jail."
The Albany program started this spring, and places two dogs at a time. All six dogs that have gone through the program have been adopted, Shear said.
Contact Glenn Coin at gcoin@syracuse.com or 315-470-3251.
via www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/09/dogs_inmates_jamesville_jail_joanie_mahoney_onondaga_county.html
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