Back to Prison

Since I was home for a week over Thanksgiving I had a chance to go to the Indiana Women's Prison for part of a training session with the ICAN staff and handlers and their current dogs in training.  Morey spent part of his time in my training at IWP and always recognizes when we go back. I have fond memories of my time in prison and always like to go back when I can (not many people probably say that!) which isn't as often now that I'm in Texas.


There has been a lot of turnover with the IWP handlers since I left so I only knew a few of the current handlers. Some handlers have gotten released from prison (obviously a good thing!) while others have been fired from the program because of violating prison rules. Being part of ICAN is a job that requires high standards and it's always hard to see a handler make choices that violate their ability to stay in the program. Not only does ICAN lose talented handlers but the handlers lose out on an amazing opportunity to learn valuable life lessons and give back to the community.


It was fun to visit with the handlers and meet some of the pups in training. They were proud to show off their dogs and with Team Training coming up, to explain who their dogs were going to be matched with. Despite all the new dogs and familiar sights Morey behaved very professionally, serving as a role model to all the younger dogs on how to act as a service dog.


The handlers only get to see one side of the service dog training and are always eager to hear more about how they act/react when they are out working in the world. I was happy to be able to share some of my experiences with Morey in hopes of emphasizing to them how crucial their work is in creating a well-trained service dogs. Training loose-leash walking, recalls and stays can get repetitive and boring after a while but these are critical skills for service dogs. Handlers often want to jump right into training retrieves and tugs before their dog has a solid foundation with the basic skills.  Knowing this, I gave a few examples of how Morey's basic skills allow him to my service dog partner hoping these examples will emphasize the importance of training these skills.


I really miss having the chance to work in the prisons and was glad to be able to visit. One of the things I love about ICAN is how the dogs are used to change lives even before they start their life as a service dog. This becomes very obvious when you have a chance to talk to the handlers who have dedicated their time to training a dog that they will one day hand over to someone else. As someone on the receiving end of this gift I am extra grateful for everyone who helped Morey become the wonderful service dog he is today!