Lansing inmates find purpose in training animals

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

BY CARL MANNING
Associated Press

LANSING - Leslie Ellifritz was focused on Sandy, a short-haired mixed-breed nursing eight puppies born a few days earlier.

"It's OK," he said softly, gently stroking Sandy's back with his muscled hands as she lay on a towel outside his prison cell. Other inmates walked past, paused and smiled.

Both Ellifritz and Sandy live at Lansing Correctional Facility, where "In Cold Blood" killers Richard Hickcock and Perry Smith were executed in 1965. Ellifritz, 48, has been doing time for murder and rape since 1981, and Sandy gave birth in his cell.

Since August 2004, Toby Young, president of the Safe Harbor Prison Dog Program, has brought those destined for doggie death row at area animal shelters to inmates such as Ellifritz for training so they can be adopted as pets.

"Every dog we've taken would have been put to sleep if we hadn't adopted them," she said. "Our goal is to save as many dogs as we can. That's why we train them to be pets. It takes less time than a service dog."

Training to be friends

Since the program started, about 800 dogs of all sizes, breeds and ages have been trained at the prison and adopted. Sandy is the sixth dog to give birth inside.

At any one time, about 70 dogs undergo training by about 100 volunteer inmate trainers, turning them from anxious, aggressive or abused animals into love sponges to be caressed and cuddled.
Prison life never is good, but having the dogs around can make it a little more tolerable.

"You don't have to show a prison mentality of being tough. You can show your real feelings. The dogs bring out a softer side of you for real. It's a big step for some of us," said Steven Beard, 28, in prison since 2000 for aggravated robbery and burglary. He's training his 30th dog, a black-and-tan coonhound named Oliver.

Warden David McKune, who runs the prison of about 2,500 inmates, gives the program high marks.

"Even if they have families, it's an isolated experience for them," McKune said. "They still are humans and have the need to care for other things and people and be cared for."

He said having dogs around helps cut down on fistfights and flare-ups among inmates.

"This isn't an easy place to make friends," McKune said. "The whole interaction, this whole positive influence, reduces violence."

A national trend

Prisoners training dogs is a national trend. Sister Pauline Quinn started the first program to train service dogs in 1981 at a women's prison in Washington state and began similar programs elsewhere, including California, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Wisconsin.

"It is very hard to follow the prison dog programs around the country... there are so many of them now," said Sister Pauline, of Casco, Maine.

An Internet search turned up at least 19 states, including Kansas and Missouri, where prisoners train service dogs or pets.

McKune say he hasn't found any other U.S. prison with more dogs because many have smaller service training programs. The state's other seven prisons have training programs either for service dogs or pets.

It's not just the trainers who enjoy the dogs. Other inmates make leather leashes or collars, or crochet sweaters and pat and play with them whenever they get a chance.

Many carry dog treats -- which are sold at 45 cents a pound at the prison canteen to inmates, who earn around a dollar a day. Even some guards pack treats.

Rough lives for dog, man

It takes about two weeks to teach basic commands such as sit, stay, come, lie down, and to housebreak them and teach them to walk with a leash.

"What they learn depends on how creative the handler is and how much time they have," said Young, the program's president.

At night, the dogs stay with their trainers, sometimes sharing a bed or sleeping on the floor. During the day, they frolic in a penned area in the shadow of guard towers and fences topped with razor wire.

The inmates quickly identify with the dogs, especially those who have had it rough.

"We had one inmate who got a dog that was cowering," Young said. "When he learned it had been abused, he buried his face in the fur and cried and cried."

The hardest part for the trainers is parting with the pooches, although they soon get another dog.

"Part of you goes out with each dog because part of you goes into each dog," Ellifritz said. "Part of your heart goes into each dog."

John Manard, 26, in prison since 1997 for murder, is training his 25th dog -- Eben, a fuzzy black chow who walks with a limp because somebody threw him off a bridge.

"We like the ones people give up on. I like taking them and fixing them. If you can harness their aggressiveness, you can save their lives," he said. "This is a way of life for me. It's all I got."

After a dog is trained, vaccinated and spayed or neutered, Young contacts those wanting a pet or takes about a dozen dogs to various weekend events for a chance to be adopted.

Frequently, new owners send letters of appreciation to Young, who shares them with the trainers. The program receives no tax money and is financed by donations and the $150 adoption fee.

For I.G. Wimbish, 36, in prison since 1994 for murder, training dogs helped him to come to terms with himself.

"You end up thinking about how you feel about people and that's when you encounter remorse for what you did," Wimbish said. "You ask how could a person do that to a dog but then the question remains, how could you have done that to a person?"

[fancychicken]

Wha t awonderful story. Just goes to show you there is nothing better than giving love and getting it back.

[shandoggy1]

There used to be a show on Animal Planet called "cell dogs" that was based on the same thing, prisoners training dogs so that they can be adoptable family pets. I think it is a wonderful thing

[Raised By Wolves]

That's really beautiful, Sonja.

I'm constantly amazed at how much dogs bring to our lives. They are angels, teachers, and healers of broken souls. They have the power to teach compassion, teamwork, and leadership.

When I apply the principles they've taught me through their interactions with us and each other, to my relationships with my fellow humans, I can't help but feel I'm a little better person for it.

I always smile at the irony of the fact that dog, is god spelled backwards.

[Estie]

This is just an awesome thing! I, too, watched "Cell Dogs" on Animal Planet awhile back. It was a wonderful program.
Estie

[tessa_s212]

I used to love cell dogs!

[KennelMom]

Our boy Prajna graduated from a prison program here in SC coordinated by GPA-SC (Greyhound Pets of America). I think its a wonderful concept that benefits the inmates, dogs and future families!