A prison in Michigan conducted a successful experiment that showed the vital role that dogs play in improving difficult situations. This trial inspired John Hassen, a corrections officer at the Woodland Correctional Facility, to introduce a therapy dog. Jodie DeAngelo, the prison warden, was initially pretty skeptical about the whole thing, but when Sadie, a live-in service dog, joined their team, everything changed.
Sadie is the first in the country to provide services to convicts. Her major responsibility was to work directly with prominent inmates at Woodland Correctional Facility.
Her trainer accompanied her as she did her work. Officer Hassen was one of the individuals who witnessed the beneficial benefits of therapy dogs on a person with PTSD, and he was certain that the inmates might benefit from this.
Because of mental illness, many inmates at the Woodland Correctional Facility were unable to function like normal, and this is where Sadie came into play.
Each day, Sadie would make her rounds, and the inmates adored her presence and eagerly anticipated seeing her. Sadie’s responsibilities included providing friendship and comfort to convicts. She would visit them to interact with them and boost their spirits. The importance of Sadie’s presence to the inmates’ well-being has been acknowledged by all who have met her.
Since she spent nine months in the correctional facility, she has had a profound impact on many lives. Prior to her joining the staff, the institution had the most emergency room visits. When Sadie came, the prison’s numbers went down until they became the lowest in terms of ER visits.
The inmates realized that having Sadie around was a luxury, and they did not wish to anger prison officials or the therapy dog. So they enjoyed her presence as much as they could.
Some convicts led solitary lives, so interacting with Sadie, a therapy dog, provided them happiness. Sadie was not just intelligent, but also kind and gentle. She succeeds at assisting others, and she enjoys her work.
Given the popularity of Sadie’s service, the Woodland Correctional Facility intends to acquire a second therapy dog so that more inmates may benefit from the program.
Source: The Spoke
