'PAWsitive' Dog Training Program by Shelby County Aims to Rehabilitate Inmates and Shelter Dogs

The Shelby County Division of Corrections has rolled out a creative new program, "PAWsitive," aiming to not only reduce the number of dogs in shelters but also to effectively assist in the rehabilitation of inmates by teaching them valuable life skills. As reported by Action News 5, six female inmates from the facility's women's dorm have been selected to take part in this dog training initiative since late February.

Anthony Alexander, the director of corrections, emphasized the close interaction between the inmates and the dogs, stating in an interview obtained by WREG that the dogs were with the soon-to-be-released inmates "24 hours a day to help them to become more compassionate, caring and motivate them to do something different."

This partnership between Shelby County Government, Allegiance Canine dog training school, and the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County has been fostered by Dominique McKinnie of the Mayor's Office of Innovation, who previously served as the Deputy Administrator of the Shelby County Office of Re-entry. The program's mission, as outlined by Memphis Flyer, not only aids in the reentry process for inmates by enhancing their "social and emotional IQ, accountability and sense of responsibility," but also helps the trained dogs in finding permanent homes. Dominique Winfrey-McKinnie described the initiative as “a beautiful exchange of empathy and understanding that transforms both hearts and minds.”

The arrangement ensures that both the human and canine participants of the program get to undergo an extensive beneficial process. Each training cycle, which spans six weeks, pairs several groups of two women with five dogs. Ellen Zahariadis, executive director of the Humane Society, pointed out that the joint effort aims to create "second chances for everyone involved." She further detailed how the inmates are to learn patience and other traits through positive reinforcement, which doubles as the program's primary training method. This not only gears the women towards accountability and responsibility, Zahariadis mentioned but could potentially direct them towards a future career path in working with animals.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris weighed in, calling the program a "win-win training initiative." In his discussion with the Memphis Flyer, Harris expressed his optimism about the multiplicative effect the project could have. As the training is geared toward both the shelter dogs and the inmates, the mayor highlighted how it serves to cultivate crucial skills and experiences that could potentially lead to gainful employment opportunities for the inmates post-release.