Jun 27, 2015 5 min read

WAYNESBURG – The 15 inmates chosen to train Labrador retriever service dogs at the state prison in Greene didn’t get much sleep the first night that five puppies spent in their block in March 2014.

“I don’t know if they were expecting the whimpering all night and the bathroom breaks,” said Tina Staley, who serves as the prison’s program coordinator.

“It was different. They cried the first night and they all had puffy eyes the next morning,” she said of the men paired up with the dogs. “It brought humanity to the jail.”

More than a year later, the five adult females finished their basic obedience lessons and are now prepared to begin their next phase with the Canine Partners for Life program that matches up service animals with people who need them. A graduation ceremony for the dogs and their trainers was held Tuesday morning at SCI-Greene to celebrate the accomplishment.

As the recipients walked up to receive their certificates, each of the five dogs gave a shake and knocked off the graduation mortarboards placed on their heads, bringing a chuckle from the audience of family and staff gathered for the ceremony.

“It’s been a great experience,” said Richard, who helped to train Amber. “It’s been a chance to find companionship with an animal and take responsibility and give back.”

Eric, who worked with Suka, raised dogs growing up and this experience brought back the “unconditional love” he remembered back then.

“I wouldn’t trade any day or second for any of the time I spent with those dogs,” Eric said. “Just being around them made me feel good inside knowing what I was doing and how I was helping.

The program, hailed by both inmates and prison staff as a major success, had some detractors when SCI-Greene Superintendent Robert Gilmore and other pitched the idea in October 2013. Gilmore witnessed similar programs at other prisons he oversaw, so he knew it could work given the chance.

“Initially, there were naysayers,” Gilmore said. “Clearly, we didn’t believe that was the consensus.”

Instead, he saw changes in the men who interacted daily with the animals. There was neither pay nor direct benefits from working in the program. However, Gilmore said the inmates in the program have the satisfaction of knowing they helped someone in need.

“These men embraced it,” he said. “Just to see the change in them to give something back. It spilled over into the whole institution.”

He told of a story in which a prisoner not in the program asked to pet one of the service dogs, which was wearing its training vest at the time and not permitted to interacted with others. The man told the trainer he “hadn’t seen a dog in 20 years” and was disappointed he couldn’t pet it. The trainer took off the dog’s vest for a few moments, giving the other inmate a chance to play with the dog, Gilmore said.

Each dog was paired up with two direct trainers and one alternative, and they trained a couple hours each week with a CPL volunteer training in the prison’s gymnasium or common area. The dogs and their assigned trainers spent nearly all hours of the day together to practice the training and form a bond.

“It means the world to them to care for another living being knowing they won’t see the fruits of their labor,” CPL volunteer trainer Erica Seaver-Engle said. “They’ve shown nothing but compassion and dedication to them.”

The inmates who participated in the program were convicted of a range of crimes, although prison officials would not discuss specific offenses. Gilmore said the 15 men were chosen through a thorough process within the state Department of Corrections and to work with CPL’s requirements.

Although it’s not the first time a state prison in Pennsylvania trained service dogs, officials from SCI-Somerset are working closely with Greene’s administrators to formulate a similar program. Waynesburg Animal Hospital staff members were also honored for providing veterinary care when needed.

“You were allowed to break the mold and try something new,” Gilmore said during the graduation ceremony. “You will improve the quality of someone else’s life.”

Giving back to the community, even while behind bars, to help someone they’ll never meet resonated the most with the inmates involved in the program.

Richard said Tuesday’s graduation ceremony was a happy occasion for the trainers, although it would be more difficult this week as they say their final goodbyes to the dogs when they’re led away to continue their training.

“The dogs responded and fed off each other. It definitely was a new experience,” Richard said before pausing for a moment. “It teaches you discipline and patience. It’s worth making the sacrifice to help someone else.”