NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Female Inmates and their temporarily adopted dogs graduated from the Davidson County jail’s first “Second Chances Offender Dog” ceremony.
Cheers and applause greeted five female inmates on Tuesday. The crowd was rooting for the women, who were pioneers of sorts in Davidson County.
“I hope you'll take something from this program and do something great with your lives,” exclaimed Sgt. Sheila Stinson.
The inmates teamed up in groups to help save dogs headed toward be euthanization.
“These animals from Metro Animal Control have been abandoned, have been lost, some have been abused. They've never really been in a loving environment,” said Grammy winner and animal advocate EmmyLou Harris.
With Harris’s help the jail launched the program, dubbed Second Chances. The inmates applied and were specially selected. Some were terrified of dogs before they were assigned to care for one.
“It only took a few days until they had Bebe under their arm and said ‘we’re gonna go take a nap (with the dog)! It was beautiful,” said dog trainer and corrections officer, Julie Farris.
The animals lived with the inmates. At their graduation from the program, the women recounted how difficult it was to train the, at-first, unruly pups on behavior and basic commands.
“The basic training is really important to make them more adoptable,” Harris said.
Sheriff, Daron Hall, said it was a program he’d been eyeing since he worked at an Australian prison more than 20 years ago.
“I got over the jet lag of flying over there and I walked around the facilities and there were animals in every cell with every person,” he recalled.
It was a way to save both animals and people.
“You'll never know unconditional love until you see it for the first time through the eyes of a dog. You'll never forget that,” Stinson said.
The program gave inmates a renewed sense of pride, responsibility and love so they will once again root for themselves.
With the success of their first graduates, the county had hopes that the program would grow. Staff planned for a new class of puppies to begin training a couple weeks after the graduation.
Two of the three puppies were adopted. To learn more about Bam Bam, who is up for adoption, click here.
