Project POOCH
Encyclopedia
Project POOCH is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
that aims to rehabilitate incarcerated youths by actively training difficult-to-adopt dogs.
In 1993, the program was started by Joan Dalton at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
in Woodburn
, Oregon
, United States
. The program's success has garnered it international attention, with similar programs established in Korea
and Scotland
, as well as Japanese television shows and documentaries about the program. The project has also been featured on Animal Planet
.
Dogs from local animal shelter
s are taken in by Project POOCH and paired with young offenders, most of whom have been convicted of serious crimes such as murder
and sexual assault
. The dogs often have behavioral problems, including excessive barking or aggression.
For her doctoral dissertation, Sandra Merriam-Aduini studied the effects of Project POOCH had on violent, incarcerated male juveniles inmates, studying effects on recidivism
, reformation, and behavioral changes linked to human-animal interactions emphasizing responsibility, patience, and compassion. Between 1993 and 1999, Dr. Merriam-Aduini found zero recidivism of POOCH participants and that the program achieved educational expectations and judicial orders with success rates, including marked behavior improvements in "respect for authority, social interaction and leadership" as well as "growth in areas of honesty, empathy, nurturing, social growth, understanding, confidence level and pride of accomplishment".
"Rehabilitated" dogs are subsequently adopted by new homes following behavioral tests.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that aims to rehabilitate incarcerated youths by actively training difficult-to-adopt dogs.
In 1993, the program was started by Joan Dalton at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility is a correctional facility in Woodburn, Oregon, United States. It is administered by the Oregon Youth Authority...
in Woodburn
Woodburn, Oregon
Woodburn is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. Incorporated in 1889, the community had been platted in 1871 after the arrival of the railroad. The city is located in the northern end of the Willamette Valley along Interstate 5 between Portland and Salem...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The program's success has garnered it international attention, with similar programs established in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, as well as Japanese television shows and documentaries about the program. The project has also been featured on Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
.
Dogs from local animal shelter
Animal shelter
An animal shelter is a facility that houses homeless, lost, or abandoned animals; primarily a large variety of dogs and cats.Parrots, for example, are the third most common pet owned by people...
s are taken in by Project POOCH and paired with young offenders, most of whom have been convicted of serious crimes such as murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
and sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
. The dogs often have behavioral problems, including excessive barking or aggression.
For her doctoral dissertation, Sandra Merriam-Aduini studied the effects of Project POOCH had on violent, incarcerated male juveniles inmates, studying effects on recidivism
Recidivism
Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior...
, reformation, and behavioral changes linked to human-animal interactions emphasizing responsibility, patience, and compassion. Between 1993 and 1999, Dr. Merriam-Aduini found zero recidivism of POOCH participants and that the program achieved educational expectations and judicial orders with success rates, including marked behavior improvements in "respect for authority, social interaction and leadership" as well as "growth in areas of honesty, empathy, nurturing, social growth, understanding, confidence level and pride of accomplishment".
"Rehabilitated" dogs are subsequently adopted by new homes following behavioral tests.
External links
- Project POOCH website
- Joan Dalton's Project POOCH website
- Project Pooch photo slideshow at the Statesman JournalStatesman JournalThe Statesman Journal is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851, the Oregon Statesman later merged with the Capital Journal to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Oregon. The Statesman Journal is distributed in Salem, Keizer, and much of...
- Project Pooch information at the National Institute of CorrectionsNational Institute of CorrectionsThe National Institute of Corrections is an agency of the United States government. It is part of the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons....
website - "Second Chances", Nancy Hill, ConnectforKids.org