Two problems, one solution

Wildly successful program helps both incarcerated youth and dogs on death row

By Nancy Hill
The Portland Upside
June 2009

Through dog training, Project POOCH visionary Joan Dalton (right) teaches youth at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility skills for a successful future. (Photo by Nancy Hill)

Fifteen years ago visionary Joan Dalton had an idea. As vice principal of MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Joan was painfully aware that without a good education, MacLaren’s incarcerated youth could not avoid the revolving door of corrections. She also knew that traditional teaching methods were unlikely to benefit the students, many of whom tested significantly beneath their grade level.

During her free time, Joan helped foster animals and began to research the human-animal bond. She began pondering whether there was a way this bond could benefit both the youth at MacLaren and neglected, discarded animals.

“There are definite similarities between these two groups,” Joan says. “Our society loves children in theory, but when one has problems, many people think locking them up is the solution. People abandon or euthanize difficult animals. With both groups, a lot of people seem to prefer abandoning someone exhibiting behavioral problems instead of figuring out how to change the root causes of the behavior.”

In 1993, Joan took her first step to linking these two similar populations by approaching Mac­Laren Superintendent Robert Jester to ask if he’d try a program in which incarcerated youth could adopt dogs scheduled to be euthanized. The youth would train the dogs, groom them, and find them new homes. She would run the program as a real kennel would be run, which would give the youth a chance to learn valuable job skills as well as math, writing, and other traditional subjects in a non-traditional setting. Additionally, the youth would have a chance to do something good.

“They’d also experience unconditional love,” Joan says. “Many of the youth come from dysfunctional families and, like the dogs the young men would train, they themselves had suffered neglect and abuse. Many of the youth didn’t want to get close to anyone, but bonding with a dog would be safe. Through that bond, they could learn to trust again, how to build a relationship.”

The superintendent agreed to let Joan try her idea, which she named Project POOCH. She selected one youth and one dog to begin the program. Anthony was solely responsible for feeding, walking, grooming and training Grover.

But when voters passed Measure 11, Grover’s solo kennel near the high school had to be moved to make room for tents to house additional juveniles being incarcerated. The superintendent then offered an unused storage space at the far end of MacLaren’s campus. With more space in the new location, Joan began adding more youth to work in the program.

“The youth had to apply just like they would for a job,” Joan says. She also did background checks to make sure the youth had never harmed an animal and were not likely to do so.
Sixteen years later, POOCH has been wildly successful. A study conducted several years ago found that not one youth in a randomly selected group of 100 POOCH participants has returned to corrections after serving out his sentence.

POOCH is strictly non-profit. While it is located at MacLaren, it receives no state funding and depends on grants and donations to keep going and growing. Fortunately, some major contributors have helped the program thrive. Joan insists that POOCH would not have succeeded without amazing support from the community.

“We have volunteers from all walks of life eager to come and work with both the youth and the dogs,” she says. “It’s incredible to see how many people want to help. I wish everyone could see how much difference it makes to the youth when they meet people who treat them with respect, who want to help them succeed. I see young men grow and change every single day. It’s an incredible example of how helping and caring for a dog can change lives.”

One philanthropist donated $10,000 to build a small kennel. Another donated enough to add an education center to the kennel. The center boasts six computers, desks, and a place for speakers and vets to come and teach specific aspects of dog training and care, such as massage and health issues affecting different breeds. The education center also gives the youth a chance to learn writing, graphics, layout, basic math and computer skills, and communication and business skills used to promote POOCH.

Others have donated the time and money to allow the youth to learn building skills by building a four-dog kennel under the guidance of professional contractors. Still others have shown their support by helping with fundraisers like the recent auction at MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company that raised over $45,000.

In addition, numerous vets give discounts and in-kind services to keep POOCH alive. Skilled volunteers help the youth train dogs to pass Canine Good Citizen tests; to learn t-touch, a technique to activate the function of the cells; to work with dogs on agility training; and to develop social skills. Even people without dog-related skills love to help; volunteers pick up and deliver dogs, take them on home visits to potential adopters, and tutor students in specific areas, like writing, math, job interviewing, and personal finance.

The program has been so successful that film crews from Japan have documented the program seven times. One Japanese author wrote a book about POOCH that was required reading for all middle school students. Joan has also traveled to Japan, Korea, Scotland, and throughout the United States to help others set up similar or modified programs. POOCH has been featured on Animal Planet, and last year Joan was a finalist for Animal Planet’s hero of the year award.
The youth who have participated in POOCH have their own success stories. Some have gone to trade school or college. Many are holding down living-wage jobs. Some now work with dogs. Joan points out that the participants gain skills far beyond how to work with dogs.

“They learn specific skills for getting and keeping jobs. By interacting with so many people from the community they learn communication skills. They learn how to organize and plan, how to anticipate and problem solve. One of the most important things they learn, I think, is parenting skills. There are many parallels between caring for children and dogs, like patience and unconditional love and consistency. Some of these youth are already fathers, and I know what they learn in POOCH will help them with their children when they’re released.”

While Joan is quick to praise others for their contributions to POOCH’s success, she is perhaps too modest about her own efforts. In the early days, Joan went without a salary and sold her house to keep the program going. She routinely works six days a week and is available to help the participants once they leave MacLaren.

One of her dreams is to build a kennel outside of MacLaren where participants can continue to learn skills as they adjust to life outside of a correctional facility.

“If a youth spends years locked up, they have lost touch with life on the outside. It’s not as easy to adapt as people think, and so I’d love to build a program to help with the transition and for mentors to meet with the youth to help them over the rough spots.”
Knowing Joan, she’ll find a way to make that happen.

Thanks to Project POOCH, these two groups are helping each other overcome the past as they all get a second chance in life. Here’s a sampling from the hundreds of participants over the last 16 years:

The dogs:

Ginger knew nothing but abuse. Beaten and neglected, she cowered any time anyone came near her, for contact with humans meant nothing but pain.

Lougar was found abandoned in the woods, harnessed to a tree with a tow strap. One of his front legs was so severely broken when he came to POOCH he had to have it amputated.

Bailey spent most of his young life tied to a tree. As he grew, his collar became too small and grew into his neck. When he was rescued, the collar had to be surgically removed.

The youth:

Chris lived with an abusive stepfather. At age 9, Chris’s mother took Chris and fled, but the damage had already been done. Angry and resentful, Chris acted out, and started getting in trouble with the law by the time he was 13.

Andrew (name withheld on request) was born into a family of drug dealers. He was taught the trade from a very young age and expected to participate in the family “business.” He was arrested and sentenced as a young teen.

Mike (name withheld upon request) was deserted by his father the day he was born. After a childhood and adolescence of neglect, he acted out and ended up incarcerated.

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Nancy Hill is a writer and photographer who believes that when people work together anything is possible.