A Michigan prison had conducted a successful experiment that showed strong evidence of dogs’ important role in making rough situations better. This experiment gave Corrections Officer John Hassen an idea of bringing in a therapy dog to the Woodland Correctional Facility. At first, prison warden Jodie DeAngelo was quite doubtful, but when the live-in service dog named Sadie joined their team, everything changed. Sadie, a therapy dog was the first to provide services to prisoners in the country.
Her primary task was to work directly with high-profile prisoners at Woodland Correctional Facility. Her handler accompanied him in carrying out her task. Officer Hassen was one of the people to witness the positive effects of therapy dogs on an individual with PTSD, and he was confident that prisoners could benefit from the service. Many Woodland Correctional Facility prisoners were unable to function because of mental illness, and this is where Sadie came into play.
Each day, Sadie would do her rounds, and the prisoners loved her presence as they looked forward to seeing her. One of Sadie’s tasks was to provide companionship and comfort to prisoners. She would interact with them and keep their spirits up by visiting them in their hospital beds. Prisoners who have met Sadie recognized the importance of her presence in improving their well-being.
Since she has already spent nine months in the correctional facility, she touched many lives. Before she became part of the team, the facility had the highest emergency room runs. When Sadie arrived, the correctional facility had the lowest. Prisoners understood that having Sadie around was a privilege, and they didn’t want to do anything that would upset prison officials and the therapy dog.
Some prisoners spent their lives in solitude and having to interact with a therapy dog, like Sadie, brought them joy. Sadie wasn’t only smart but compassionate and gentle as well. She excels in helping people, and she loves what she does. Since Sadie’s service is a success, the Woodland Correctional Facility plans to bring in a second therapy dog so more prisoners could benefit from the program.
Video Source: The Spoke via YouTube