Second Chances (eBook)

The Transformative Relationship Between Incarcerated Youth and Shelter Dogs

Joan K. Dalton (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025
202 Seiten
Purdue University Press (Verlag)
978-1-62671-106-8 (ISBN)

Infos

Second Chances: The Transformative Relationship Between Incarcerated Youth and Shelter Dogs recounts the story of Project POOCH (Positive Opportunities—Obvious Change with Hounds), a program that united incarcerated boys with unwanted dogs from animal shelters. Both the boys and the dogs were considered undesirable, and few had found love in their lives. As a result of the project, the lives of many youths and dogs changed forever.

The project faced many challenges. The correctional facility administrators needed much convincing before approval was given to start the onsite program with one boy and one dog. At one point, Dalton sold her house to keep the project funded. However, since 1993, over 95 percent of the youths have not returned to corrections once their sentence was served. Some of the boys have gone on to college, and all have been gainfully employed. The POOCH dogs learned basic obedience and went on to become beloved family pets; some even became companion dogs to autistic children, people with physical impairments, and war veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Dalton’s own story starts with a family background where her dogs were killed for minor behavioral problems, and leads to teaching incarcerated youth that they deserve unconditional love, first demonstrated by the transformational connection with canines.

Inhalt

Project POOCH Timeline

Author’s Note

1. My Path to Corrections

2. The Human-Animal Bond

3. Do We Want a Dog Program?

4. Training Boys, Training Dogs

5. Grand Opening

6. Troubling Times

7. Adding More Boys and More Dogs

8. Dogs Saving Humans

9. Emotions from the Past

10. Expanding School Offerings

11. Contagious Energy

12. Setting the Bar Higher

13. Dogs Bring Volunteers

14. There Was No Seat for Me at the Table

15. New Experiences

16. Don’t Shoot the Dog

17. Learning New Skills and Facing New Challenges

18. More Incredible People Elevate POOCH

19. Compassion and the Incarcerated

20. Never Give Up Hope

21. More Challenges

22. Keeping Hope Alive

23. Letting Go Is Never Easy

24. In Their Own Words

25. I Am Out! Now What?

26. Thoughts from Youth

27. Letters from Adopted Dogs and Their Pet Parents

28. What’s Next?

Afterword

Acknowledgments

Appendix 1: Terminology

Appendix 2: Class Rules and Expectations for Success

Appendix 3: Recommended Resources

About the Author

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.5.2025
• Reihe/Serie: New Directions in the Human-Animal Bond
• Zusatzinfo: 32 color photographs
• Verlagsort: West Lafayette
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Geschichte / Politik
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Tiere / Tierhaltung
• Themenwelt: Recht / Steuern ► Strafrecht ► Kriminologie
• Schlagworte: animal-assisted intervention (AAI) • canine • children • criminal justice program • dogs changing boys • dogs in juvenile corrections • incarcerated boys • incarcerated boys and shelter dogs • Joan Dalton memoir • Recidivism • rehabilitation of boys and dogs • saving boys • saving dogs • second chance boys • second chance dogs • story of Project POOCH • Teenagers • Youth
• ISBN-10: 1-62671-106-2 / 1626711062
• ISBN-13: 978-1-62671-106-8 / 9781626711068