Paws of Hope
By Colleen Herzog, Cheryl Cocciardi and Michael Watkins
A successful pilot project has pawed its way into the hearts of youth being held at the Calgary Young Offender Centre (CYOC). Paws of Hope is a partnership between CYOC and the Calgary Humane Society that pairs young offenders with a shelter dog to teach them responsibility and help develop empathy.
In the fall of 2001, CYOC began to target the area of empathy development as a component of mental health programming for young people in custody. Youth who are incarcerated are more likely to be considered antisocial. Research also shows that antisocial youth show both immaturity in their judgment and have a limited ability to demonstrate empathetic responses to others.
In researching the area of empathy and young offenders, the Adolescent Supportive Intervention Services Team (ASIST) members at the centre became interested in animal-assisted therapy as a way to teach empathy to young offenders. A program in which participants were responsible for the care and training of a dog would give them an opportunity to apply the empathy concepts that were being taught.
From September 27 through to October 15, 2004, the first Paws of Hope program took place at the centre. Each participant was paired up with a shelter dog that they were responsible for 6.5 hours per day, including training and care, throughout the three-week period.
CYOC staff provided the empathy training component and helped the young people to see the links between their interactions with their dogs and their ability to feel empathy. Their supervision and support in the operation of the program allowed for consistent routines and practice sessions. The humane society provided the dogs and supplies for the program and was responsible for training and obedience with the dogs. They also provided a variety of guest presenters, instructors and humane educators.
Following the program, the dogs were returned to the humane society and adopted into the community. Families as far away as Fernie, B.C. arrived to adopt the dogs. Letters and pictures received from these new families have indicated great success. Staff at CYOC felt that the first Paws of Hope program exceeded all expectations so the second program took place in April 2005 and it will be offered again in October.
