POLAND-ANIMAL CRUELTY/REHAB Animal offenders train dogs in prison therapy programme

Record ID: 145164

  • Title: POLAND-ANIMAL CRUELTY/REHAB Animal offenders train dogs in prison therapy programme
  • Date: 31st July 2015
  • Summary: WOJKOWICE, POLAND (JULY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) WOJKOWICE PRISON SECURITY CAMERA AND BARBED WIRE ABOVE ENTRANCE COURTYARD COVERED WINDOWS MEMBERS OF S.O.S. FOR ANIMALS FOUNDATION ENTERING PRISON WITH DOGS DOGS IN PRISON YARD DOG INMATES ENTERING YARD INMATES GREETED BY DOGS INMATES WITH DOGS IN EXERCISE YARD SEEN THROUGH FENCE INMATES TRAINING DOGS INMATE MARIUSZ WITH DOG NAME
  • Embargoed: 15th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Poland
  • Country: Poland
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5T45NRZQ0JENWU2EWJBMHDAQV
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: They may be known as man's best friend, but the dogs playing in the yard at Wojkowice Prison in southern Poland are there to teach that lesson to inmates who did not always see things that way -- convicted animal cruelty offenders.
    The prisoners have been brought into close contact with animals from a local shelter - many of them victims of abuse themselves - thanks to a special programme called 'Let know, let hug, let love.'
    After three months of learning how to care for and train their new friends, on Wednesday (July 29) came the time for the inmates to say goodbye, as the dogs were set to move on to new homes.
    It was an emotional moment for many.
    "When we found out there would be more classes with the dogs today, it was a really satisfying piece of news, yes. I was very happy that I would be able to see my dog again. Because, as I know, she is going to an adoption family and I think I probably won't see her again after that. But, well, hopefully she will go to good hands, to good people," said Mariusz, who had bonded with his charge Kiara.
    Mariusz is just one of many prisoners from across Poland who have come to participate in the re-socialisation programme, now in its fifth edition.
    Viewed with scepticism at first, the scheme has proved extremely popular with the prisoners who elect to take part, and participants say there is no doubt it delivers results.
    "For sure this (therapy) has a very good effect, definitely a good effect on human psyche," one newfound dog-lover, Krzysztof, said.
    Some of his classmates can even imagine visiting the animal shelter and keeping their own pets in the future - a far cry from the abusive behaviour they displayed in the past.
    "Now I know how to take care of a dog if I ever have a dog in the future. I know how to deal with him, how to teach him to be obedient, not jump on people, be well behaved and so on, and walk beside the leg. Generally to follow basic commands that a dog should know," explained Pawel, who has been training a dog called Makler.
    For the specialists overseeing the programme, the end goal is not the dog-training ability the participants acquire, but rather the change in mindset brought about via the process.
    "This is not about these people wanting to adopt dogs, take them home, because I do not believe in changes that radical. But small steps and this change of mentality with small and slow steps, I think works, and that's why we do it," founder of the S.O.S For Animals foundation in Chorzow, Aneta Motak, told Reuters.
    "That's why we show them how to look after a dog or cat. That's why a veterinarian tells them about first aid and resuscitation, which is very similar to what is done for humans. To show them that this animal thinks, feels and experiences pain in the same way," she added.
    Motak is one of the experts who has been observing the inmates' interaction with the dogs twice a week. Before they were allowed to come into contact with the animals at all, the offenders had to undergo training, including reading about animal protection laws.
    Animal abuse is not the only offence the participants were convicted for - in addition, many have also committed theft and violence, among other crimes. This year, the programme included for the first time people sent to prison for domestic violence.
    For prison staff, the changes in the inmates' behaviour as a result of the programme are palpable.
    "Of course these changes can be measured in different ways, using psychological tests for example, where we can notice changes and observe differences. But perhaps the clearest, the most distinct change is when the man who once tortured a dog to death today takes his shirt off to protect a dog from the sun. Or another, who pays attention to whether his puppy has enough water in the bowl. This is tangible proof that the programme works," prison press officer Major Joanna Korczynska said.
    Their work at the prison done and some trust in humans regained, the inmates' canine companions are now searching for new, permanent homes. The inmates, on the other hand, are waiting for release. Only time will tell if the programme's effects last, but there has already been one success story from an earlier edition: one former participant released from jail one and a half years ago is now working at an animal shelter, caring for, amongst others, around 50 dogs, 10 cats and 14 horses.
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