Canine cuteness and tail-wagging were on display at San Quentin, thanks to a new service dog program introduced April 27.
Canine Companions®, a non-profit organization, has a mission to provide highly trained service dogs to people with disabilities at no charge, according to trainer Paige Mazzoni.
Four incarcerated men were selected as trainers for the first two service animals chosen to launch the program.
“It’s really broadened my horizon and has made me feel human again. That’s the best way that I can describe it,” said Nathan Venegas, one of the incarcerated men participating in the program.
the West Block yard. The pair of black Labrador retrievers are the first pups to be trained
by general population residents at San Quentin. In July, Canine Companions added two new
Labrador trainees, doubling the facilityʼs four-legged population.
Acting Chief Deputy Warden Landon Bravo and SQ’s Public Information Officer Lt. Guim’Mara Berry spearheaded the program.
“I think that this program is going to help the collaboration between staff and some of the incarcerated,” Berry said. “I also think that we have to start somewhere. We are going to be dealing with people who will become our neighbors, right? And so with that, you have to provide as many employable resources as possible.”
of the changes here at San Quentin,” said Acting Chief Deputy Warden Bravo. “I think for the population it’s going to be so impactful … It’s going to create an opportunity for the handlers to give back and to help people with challenged needs.”
The canine trainees, two Labradors named Wendell and Artemis, were walked to their new home at Donner Unit to meet their new handlers.
Waiting for them were Venegas, Chase Benoit, Aaron Ramzy and Jared L. Hansen.
“After 20-something years in here, I would have never thought I would get the chance to be a part of something like this,” Venegas said when asked how he feels about being selected to participate in this program.
“I’m a little overwhelmed but really excited. I feel really lucky and can’t wait to just see how this program expands,” stated Benoit.
“This is groundbreaking for us. So to have this here at San Quentin … this is real rehabilitation. The possibilities are endless,” Ramzy offered.
After formal introductions were made between the handlers and the dogs, Wendell and Artemis were walked to the West Block yard where they will begin their training.
“The dogs will be with the handlers here at San Quentin until they are ready for professional training,” said James Dern, who was instrumental in the creation San Quentin’s dog program.
Dern said that for the next 16 to 18 months, he and Susan Porteous — another Canine Companions® trainer — will be trading off each week to come in and teach the handlers how to socialize the young canines.
“Things we do are introducing them to socialization skills, which includes house manners, managing unwanted behavior … along with proper etiquette and following commands,” Hansen said.
Coupled with learning how to bond with their future service clients, the dogs will be taught over 30 commands such as down, drop, heel, side, sit and hurry (which means go to the bathroom), among other commands.
They will sleep on a dog bed that was fashioned in the prison’s woodshop. The dogs will then be transferred to the non-profit’s professional facility, where they will put the finishing touches on their training.
“Our prison programs are one of my favorite aspects of my job because it is so powerful for everyone involved,” said Porteous.
She added that she loves it when someone has paroled and reaches out to her to let her know how they are doing.
“Seeing those individuals finds hope and a purpose and meaning in what they are doing with this program brings so much meaning to us …”
When asked about the recidivism rates for those who participate in the canine training program, Mazzoni estimated it at less than 5%.
“Recently I explained my thought process to the administration above us, which is that instead of us thinking outside the box, how about we think outside the walls,” said Bravo. “I want to bring as much programming and opportunities for the population as possible to give back, to help you better yourselves individually and be a productive member of society someday because that is what’s going to be happening …”
Hansen, who, along with Ramzy will be training Artemis, looks forward to making a real contribution:
“It’s just … not to sound cliché but just being inside of a prison and to give back to a community that I’ve took so much from…,” he paused and pondered. “This is going to serve a veteran, someone with disabilities. He’s [Wendell] got a job to do and I’ll have a hand in it.”
