Have you ever thought about dogs helping children build character? Especially from a juvenile detention center? Because I haven't. There is a program in Georgia call Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice's rescue 2 Restore program. And this program began in 2014 hoping to improve the life of youths in these centers to help them get a second chance at adoption for homeless dogs who would of been killed.
During the first year of the program, the youths at the detention centers help care for the dogs. By simply feeding, cleaning, and training them. They have a strict routine that start at 5am and ends at 7pm and make sure that the dogs are walked, fed, and have clean water. This routine goes for about 12 weeks and after those 12 weeks are over, they help the dogs earn their Canine Good Citizen certificates so they can go to the Humane Society to be adopted. The boys get really excited about training their dog the best and get awarded for doing so.Since I have 2 dogs at home, I trained them well and trained them to go to the bathroom outside and rewarded them by giving them treats. And that is how the boys did it at this program. They would give the dogs positive reinforcements for good behavior and negative behavior was ignored.
Helping these dogs has created good character traits for the boys. They learned to calm down, focus on studies and even get their GED. According to the article, the boy stated "Without the dogs, I never would have gotten my GED, they taught me patiences. I was able to apply that patience to studying." I think that dogs definietly help with patience because they are a lot of work. They are kind of like children and have to have patience with them.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/animal-tales/rescue-dog.html
I think this blog post is very interesting because I have never heard of dogs being used in this way before. I have always heard of therapy animals or companion animals, but I never knew canines could be beneficial to boys in juvenile detention centers. I think this is a really cool outlet for boys who may otherwise thrive as successfully after getting out of the detention center. I'm allergic to dog, so I'm not around them much, but understanding the benefits it has for other people is important.
ReplyDeleteI think that you chose a very interesting topic because I have never heard of anyone relating to dogs in this type of way. I really like dogs and so I really enjoyed reading your blog. I love how you said that having a dog can teach individuals on how to have better patience. I have a cousin and shortly after him and his wife got married they got a dog. Well they soon found out that having a dog wasn't as easy as some people make it look. Overall your post was awesome and keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about dogs being used in detention centers before, & it's amazing how much of an impact they have on the people taking care of them. It's cool because it's giving them a second chance to do some good & learn some responsibility, but it's also cool because it's giving the dogs a second chance as well to do the same thing! Very interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI always thought dogs helping a human's mental health was a myth, until now. Mental health is very important, having bad mental health can harm others. Having dogs around can create a more safe environment for mental health.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a very cool idea! Its helping the boy learn to to take care of something and show something love and affection. While also helping the dog get a better life and hopefully get adopted.
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic! I always wondered why many people loved dogs so much, and after reading your entire blog.. I see why!! Dogs are beneficial to people in many ways! Guess thats why they call them our best friends..
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! The dogs taught them responsibility and gave them a wake up call about life. I find animals to be a great therapy to many. Using dogs to help troubled boys is not only helping the boys but also the dogs who have no where else to go. I know there are some programs that allow dogs to help others but I think there are even more ways to benefit animals and humans together! Great post!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea this was a thing! I was skeptical at first until I read your post further on. It seems like a great idea and the boys seem to benefit from taking care of the dogs. More juvenile detention centers should adopt this idea! Great post Amy.
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