- 17 hours ago
Dogs Behind Bars; Inmates as Dog Trainers
Inmates training dogs highlight programs like Puppies Behind Bars and various shelter rescue initiatives, where incarcerated men and women raise and rehabilitate service or rescue dogs..
Inmates training dogs highlight programs like Puppies Behind Bars and various shelter rescue initiatives, where incarcerated men and women raise and rehabilitate service or rescue dogs..
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TVTranscript
00:07these men are in jail and the dog Chico is their best friend but today he leaves them
00:13a farewell that hurts the inmates won't see the dog again he's like part of your family you know
00:22for a couple months and he made my days happier he was just getting taken away from me then I
00:28would have been like real sad like crying but he's going to a better place this is a success for
00:35them
00:35it sounds incredible but these prisoners saved the dog's life and they hope prepared him for an
00:42important duty but what's this all about how did the dogs get into a US prison is everyone allowed
00:50to bring their pet here to find answers we go into this building at the Norco penitentiary near
00:59Los Angeles 2,450 men are serving their sentences all the way from theft to murder some of them
01:08actually have dogs only they aren't theirs what looks like a fun time is actually part of a
01:14rehabilitation program the prisoners trained the animals dogs like Chico will later provide help
01:21for people who need assistance people with disabilities or mental health problems I think
01:33it's a great idea because one they have time and this is it helps them grow it helps them to
01:39be better
01:41individuals it helps them to give back to the community that is what these men want Frederico
01:48Castaneda and Daniel Haluski both serve long-term sentences doing a 23-year sentence on kidnap with
01:57a gang and gun allegations was a mistake a big one and I'm still paying for it Daniel Haluski is
02:05in for
02:0511 years he shot at a group of people a respect was a big issue for me so I thought
02:12that I had
02:13to get back at them and that's that's pretty much it I got back in them and here I am
02:21now Chico has
02:22been there for six weeks he came straight from a shelter the two inmates are to teach some manners to
02:28the half-breed it's a voluntary task it's not their first dog they were not allowed to choose the animal
02:36that's part of the plan before I had this dog before I had this this prison that's all about helping
02:46people change all I thought about was me first you know like what's gonna benefit me now I have to
02:51think about this dog and about what's gonna do for that person that's gonna get this dog you know they
02:56have to take care of the dog as if it were their own child a strict education but also praising
03:02that
03:03does no good to the inmates image in the prison it's prison so you're embarrassed to walk around
03:08with a dog in prison you know so it is hard to let go of people people think about you
03:12know you have
03:13to be a good inmate to get a dog but then once you stop caring and just start doing what
03:17you want
03:17to do to make something better yourself then it's just you know people start coming around and now
03:21everybody wants to be in the dark world Frederico and Daniel have to go to their cell they just
03:27bring their dog along with them that's because all prisoners from the program have to live with
03:32their dogs door-to-door but where are they actually the cell doors the more you do good the lower
03:42levels
03:42the minimal security you come I don't miss the times when I was in the cell and I only got
03:46to go out one
03:47hour a day you know that was horrible those are the those are the bad parts of it you know
03:51the the
03:53because there's still violence anywhere you know so this is like a place where I you're on your way
03:58out of it personal pictures are not allowed in the cell but there is a gray area the locker
04:05Frederico's son is 13 years old Frederico has missed 12 of them I call him on the phone I write
04:12letters he comes to visit me and I always try to make them understand that the choices I made in
04:18life is what kept us apart so never think for an instant that any of this it's acceptable or it's
04:25cool now Frederico wants to make good use of his time in prison for Chico he's the most important
04:31person at training Daniel assists this layout is implemented in every team there are always two
04:38men looking after one dog yeah he's like he's your companion you know it makes you come out of that
04:46prison environment that character that you have to put up because of where you're at he brings you out
04:52of that you as his place in the back left by the window this is the dog's locker this has
05:03his own
05:03locker so in here you find like his treats dog peanut butter his shampoo toys bathroom bags and this vest
05:17is Chico's working clothes for him training begins now the cell is suitable for this first task Chico
05:28is to retrieve a fragile plastic package it's small and Chico mustn't damage it with his teeth this is
05:35not a game Chico will later handle whatever disabled people can't do on their own nothing broken perfect and
05:43this is one of his training tools that is for for the light you teach him how to turn on
05:46and off the
05:47light eventually you're gonna move it up to where you get it to a regular light like this one right
05:54here and then you can just turn it on and off your life Chico learns commands one after the other
06:00light on is fine already light off is a new command only one person at a time should do it
06:07until he
06:07learns it until he has it down and then I can help so repetition so he'll start getting used to
06:13it
06:14eleven dogs have already been trained by these two they too have learned about responsibility patience
06:20empathy and then there is this other feeling pride well the first dog I had was a Chihuahua so it's
06:28kind
06:28of funny walking around because I'm kind of big so walking around the first one I wanted to take forever
06:32because I wouldn't have a dog forever you know but once you know and understand what are you doing and
06:36it's for something better than just having a pet like you just want to start sending dogs out because
06:41the more dogs you you graduate the more people you're helping out there you know and this is the
06:46Chihuahua mix PJ he's ended up with another big man PJ is a great support for Michael Milam
06:58that's a mutual relationship he does think he couldn't survive without me and I couldn't survive without him
07:06Michael is a Vietnam veteran he brought back three purple hearts from the war he was wounded that
07:13often I did have a recurring nightmare which is that all of the people around me were killed and
07:23I'm the only survivor which is a called survivor's guilt apparently it's not a very good thing to feel
07:30because it just puts you in the dumps and now that I have a dog to focus on it's kind
07:36of a
07:36responsibility and it gives me focus PJ helps Michael in situations that are difficult for him crowded
07:44places are among them dogs aren't allowed in the supermarket PJ is as a service dog PJ's real task is
07:56different Michael suffered a brain hemorrhage and strokes some movements and now life-threatening for
08:01him I'm not supposed to bend over because the blood would rush to my brain and could cause another
08:08seizure and if I ever have a seizure again that I could actually maybe send the dog to get some
08:15help
08:17everything that floor level is now PJ's job and obviously he likes to do that oh I'm very curious yes
08:30always we don't know who it is and we do know that it must be painful for them to get
08:35rid of the dog
08:35when they have to pass the dog on inmates rarely hear about the new lives their dogs lead today all
08:43thoughts
08:44are with the new dog an important test is pending the men have to show that their protege really has
08:51what it takes to be a service dog right here like for example this is one of the tests we
08:57take this is
08:58all the commands additional there are 56 altogether the men are nervous it's important to them that their
09:05Chico becomes a service dog whether this is realistic she decides Debra Norman is a dog trainer and has
09:15been working with prisoners for three years but she's been involved in the project for longer I was an
09:21inmate in California institution for women I CSD canine support teams came in there and 2002 and I was one
09:30of the first inmates to be in the dog program dogs have only been here in Norco for two years
09:35Frederico
09:36was there from the beginning at that time only a handful of inmates were in the program now there
09:42are 30 not everyone gets a dog right away nevertheless this lesson is for everyone they can't get away
09:50with anything with me because I've been there and I've done that so you can't tell me the same stories
09:55that I told so it's not like I have to be strict I just want them to succeed and yes
10:03the tough guys
10:04accept it only Chico can't seem to understand what's going on there are so many treats he can't eat them
10:11all it's all about impulse control it's curious that the dogs are being taught by criminals but without
10:17them Chico would not be alive anymore as far as when they're in the shelter well dog like Chico is
10:24black
10:24so he's got a strike against him he looks like a bully breed what they consider a bully breed so
10:31that's another mark against him so he could have easily been put to sleep many dogs come from shelters
10:38but not all of them meet the requirements to become a service dog but the prisoners give those they train
10:44the future with a one basic obedience they become coveted pets all right guys we're gonna do CGC testing
10:53tonight Frederico has to prove that Chico can't be distracted by others awesome perfect and as a service
11:03dog Chico must be able to follow blindly they go into dogs file after the dog has passed so that
11:12we know
11:13they're public appropriate for placement Daniel wants to prove Frederico and himself are doing
11:19a good job a win for Chico is also a win for the two prisoners sometimes a good result is
11:33not so good
11:37I don't want to believe you know yeah yeah they pass the test then they take them I don't want
11:44to take
11:45them but yeah for all the lessons in the class they earn points they can shorten their sentence at best
11:53up to
11:54four weeks per year but the best part of all is how people change during the training even for myself
12:02I
12:02was a hard-ass before I you know before I got in the program and the dogs kind of soften
12:08you up and
12:09these guys they kind of they're getting it together it's hard to see criminals in these men as well we
12:16had
12:16a very different image in our mind less tender Chico did great he passed his canines good citizen he's
12:27doing everything that he should be doing and then some he's a good candidate right there for our next
12:31team training that's it for today the training itself however is far from over that's why we visited
12:40Norco once more today is the day of farewells Chico is leaving how long the training lasts always depends
12:49on the dog and the instructor it usually lasts for several months which dog is assigned to each detainee
12:58isn't done randomly every animal has its personality and it has to match the trainers Frederico can adapt to
13:05all kinds of dogs a special ability he's known for that in the program Chico is of the lively kind
13:13he'll
13:14soon be allowed back into freedom Frederico still has up to six years to go before he is released if
13:21he continues to conduct himself well inmate Daniel may be out as soon as next year I do I dream
13:28about my
13:28kid you know I have a kid but I've never been with him out there in the streets in the
13:31real world and I
13:32would love for me get a do-over I'm being a dad you know and and and show how much
13:37I care for him
13:38and how much I change you know how much people that matter to me always come first now the inmates
13:45expect more from themselves nowadays also as trainers and so I took Chico with me and he was a perfect
13:54little gentleman and the director decided that we're gonna give him a chance and actually place him a moment
13:59that gives everybody goosebumps knowing that the dog has gone on to serve a veteran or somebody that
14:06has mobility impairment it gives you a different kind of sense of accomplishment like it's just special
14:13you gave back and a lot of programs in the prisons you don't get to give back this you do
14:21Frederico and
14:23Daniel wish to continue and help more people we heard that a new dog will soon move in with them
14:30a doberman