American Strays canine census volunteer spotter Cathy Gray, President of Refurbished Pets of Southern Michigan (an in-prison canine rehabilitation program) discovers a terrified and visibly hurt young pit bull mix while counting strays in the field as a citizen scientist compiling meaningful stray dog data.
Cathy calls for help from the Michigan Humane Society who dispatches Humane Officer Chris Oewerkerk to pick up the stricken pup.
She had twine embedded around her body and was clearly injured and suffering.
Gray, the lady who found her, happened to work with the Cell Dog program and told Oewerkerk that she was interested in her for the program.
They named her Penelope. Due to her demodex mange, she would need a non-stressful environment and someone who doesn’t mind dealing with her mange should it arise again.
Part 2: Penelope in Prison
Following a period of time rehabilitating at Michigan Humane Society’s Detroit Center for Animal Care, Gray keeps her promise and follows up on Penelope, whom she sees as a good candidate for her prison program.
They get dogs from area shelters and animal control facilities that need more time or training before they can be adopted, and pair them with an inmate who will train them using positive reinforcement methods.
The non-profit is 100 percent volunteer run, no one gets paid to work with these dogs or set them up in the prison. In fact, it doesn’t cost the state of Michigan a single cent to have their program.
The inmates in the prison have to apply to be part of the program and must meet certain criteria before being allowed to train a dog.
“Have to have a minimum of a GED, misconduct free for a free, cannot be in for certain crimes,” explains Gray.
She would start out at Gray’s home and then move to a 3-month, in-prison training program where she would get her AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate and be made available for adoption.
Penelope spent five weeks at Gray’s, before entering the prison training program.
“They learn nine basic commands, and then they usual learn thirty some tricks on average,” explains Gray.
Part 3: Penelope Get a Home!
After her time in prison, Penelope was ready for a new home!
The Falzones had seen Penelope’s first video on Facebook and had fallen in love with her right then and there. They decided to adopt her along with another pitty mix, Barkley, so she would have a buddy.
This amazing documentaries following Penelope’s journey were made possible by Executive Director of the World Animal Awareness Society and American Strays series Producer & Director, Tom McPhee.
Follow the ongoing stories of the people and the dogs of the city of Detroit in this ground-breaking new series from the World Animal Awareness Society as the WA2S works to solve the stray dog management problems here: http://www.wa2s.org/american-strays.html
Did you rescue your dog from a prison program? Let us know in the comments!
Have a rescue story to share? Email me at Kristina@Homelifemedia.com
