Young
Teenagers housed at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional
Facility work with dogs from PetsConnect! in the Program called
DAYLIGHT.
offenders, dogs learn
together
■ PetsConnect! and juvenile facility
partner on program. By RACHEL REYNOLDS Tribune Correspondent SOUTH BEND
A
cross the street from a stand of trees just beginning to bud. Beyond the
tall fences topped with barbed wire coils and uniformed personnel at a gate.
Beside the gray-beige concrete building low to the ground with locked metal
doors. A small group of boys in jumpsuits and five dogs create a suspended
moment of companionship. “It’s been a while since I laid in the grass,” said one
brownhaired teenager who reclined beside a black standard poodle in the yard
and bounced a red tennis ball. It was a cloudy, overcast day with gray skies and
a slight breeze. “It’s been a long time since I saw a dog,” said another teenager.
The boys, who are housed at the South Bend Juvenile Correctional Facility,
were taking part in a special program in which rescued dogs are brought to the
correctional facility each week.The boys run with the dogs, play fetch and teach
them to sit, lie down and shake. It’s a chance for both dogs and teenagers to
heal. “For me, it’s to show kids that they have importance, they matter, and they
Sebrina Tingley, a
can train an animal,” said Sebrina Tingley, a founder of PetsConnect!, a local
volunteer for
volunteer organization that finds homes for shelter and rescue animals. “It
PetsConnect!, takes
dogs regularly to a
shows them that they can make a difference in their world.” The dogs-in-prison
juvenile correctional
program is called DAYLIGHT (Dogs and Youth Learning through Insight,
facility, where young
Guidance and Humane Training). Many of the dogs are poorly socialized or
offenders work with
traumatized because of the situations they came out of,Tingley said. They often
the animals.
hide or cower from the boys when they first start the program. However,
through temperament testing, leash training, taking car rides to the prison and
playing with the youths, the dogs become more social and adoptable. Tingley,
who holds a master’s degree in divinity from the Chicago Theological Seminary
and is a Quaker, said she coordinates the DAYLIGHT program primarily to help the youths. “It comes
from a deep spiritual place, and I do it for the youths,” she said. “I would not do it only for the dogs,
because I could socialize them in different ways. My hope is that we’re building a better society, a better
community by having an impact on the youths.… You never know when that one action or that one word
will have a huge impact on a person.” According to the Web site, the program helps youths learn, among
other things, to persist when faced with setbacks, to know they are needed, to correct without anger, to
realize that dogs don’t care about excuses and to understand that discipline and obedience allow freedom
and creativity. Tingley brings a variety of dogs to the prison each week to spend time with the handful of
teenagers who participate in the training program. The dogs looked healthy and playful while running with
the boys recently, although Tingley said that the dogs are often shy when they first begin the program.
Many of the animals were mistreated, abandoned or legally removed from damaging environments. “The
poodles and cocker spaniels were an absolute mess,” said Tingley. “They had to be shaved. Our groomer
had to get her blades sharpened because they were so matted. One Irish setter had protruding bones. “Often
we do pull these dogs off the euthanasia table.” On this day, two black standard poodles named Jean
Claude and Van Damme, a black cocker spaniel named BB, a beige cocker spaniel named Blondie, and a
silvergray Weimaraner named Duke visited the boys. “Hey, that dog’s eyes are cool,” said a teenager who
pointed out Duke’s pale, translucent eyes. For this article, the boys, who are minors, could not be identified
by name because of confidentiality rules at the prison. Another boy kept trying to rename BB. He felt Blaze
was a more fitting name for a black cocker spaniel. While playing in the grass and giving the dog treats for
following instructions, the teenagers laughed often.The boys threw balls for the dogs to chase as well as
tossing some other toys including a yellow, green and blue stuffed parrot that squawked and a blue fuzzy
bone. “It’s them (teenagers) learning a lot about themselves and the animals and what they can do
together,” said Tingley. “They learn confidence, patience and to be flexible … it’s also a wonderful
experience for the dogs.They get to meet new people and socialize.” Beverly Williams, program director of
operations at the prison, helps coordinate the dog program. She was friendly and warm and encouraged the
teens to teach the animals.Williams passed on some written questions to the boys to be used for this article.
When asked why they enjoy spending time with the dogs, one boy wrote: “It makes me feel better.”
Another answered: “Because it gets me out of myself and helps me to become more humble.” When asked
what the dogs had taught them, one boy wrote: “That you have to be patient.” Another answered: “How to
have fun.” When asked if they felt this was an appropriate program for a prison, a boy wrote: “Yes, I do
because it gives the people in jails the chance to have fun and take their mind off of the time they have to
do.” Another boy added: “Yes. It teaches self worth.”
PetsConnect!, an all-volunteer organization, keeps animals until permanent homes are found. For more
information, call or (574) 282- 1225 or go to the Web site www.petsconnect.org.