Canine Therapy Program Has Positive Start

Inmates at the West Coast Correctional Centre and the Bishop’s Falls Correctional Centre have shown overwhelming enthusiasm for caring for a total of nine dogs in the newly-formed canine therapy program. The program provides dogs with care and attention while providing inmates with the opportunity to be responsible for a dog for a period of four to six weeks. The dogs are provided through the Society for the Care and Protection of Animals (SCAPA) in Stephenville and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Bishop’s Falls.

“This program has been available for about a month and already we have had great success,” said the Honourable Felix Collins, Minister of Justice and Attorney General. “The enthusiasm shown for the program has been better than expected. It is encouraging to see these individuals gaining an enhanced sense of responsibility through caring for these animals.”

The program consists of five dogs at the Bishop’s Falls Correctional Centre and four at the West Coast Correctional Centre. Some of these animals have had difficult experiences and require special attention in regaining trust. The dogs are being transported daily to the facilities and are assigned to a particular inmate, who has had to go through a screening process. Inmates are responsible for exercising/walking, grooming, cleaning, feeding and teaching the dogs positive and healthy behavioural habits with the hopes of the dogs being adopted in the community upon completion of the program. In fact, the program has already seen its first adoption, with an animal from the Bishop Falls’ centre finding a new home in the community late last week.

Staff at the correctional centres have reported that in the short time, since the program was introduced, there has been a positive impact for both staff and inmates. It has been observed that due to the growth and development of relationships between the dogs and their trainers, inmates who have struggled with issues have had a noticeable improvement.

Pet facilitated therapy program initiatives are active in many other correctional jurisdictions in Canada. Dogs have been trained and provided to people as family pets and people with disabilities, such as autism, visual impairment, cerebral palsy and children with learning disabilities as well as those who have suffered from strokes. Other dogs have also been used for hospital and retirement home visits.

“This program has been so successful that the communities have also taken notice,” said Minister Collins. “We have had some contracting companies express interest in donating labour and materials to build dog shelters and erect fences for the dogs. I also thank the local SCAPA and SPCA who have been instrumental in helping us get this program started. Their support is very much appreciated.”

Plans are in place to extend the program to other correctional facilities in the province.

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Photo #1: Inmates and staff of the Society for the Care and Protection of Animals (SCAPA) in Stephenville with the four dogs participating in the Canine Therapy Program at the West Coast Correctional Centre.

Photo #2: Inmates with the five dogs participating in the Canine Therapy Program at the Bishop’s Falls Correctional Centre.

Media contact:
Vanessa Colman-Sadd
Director of Communications
Department of Justice
709-729-6985, 682-6593
vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca 

2011 08 01             9:55 a.m.