Shelter Dog Care Provided by

Jackson County Jail Trustees

G’day Mates!

Sharing this news item (with video link) about the Jackson County Animal Shelter (in Phoenix, Oregon), and the great work done by the trustees.

http://kdrv.com/page/149483 Check it out!

Doggy Dundee volunteers at this animal shelter daily, walking Ginny (she’s the white and brown pit-X in the video) and other dogs, so I can vouch for how vital the trustees work is to the care of the shelter dogs, cats, and other animals there.  It’s a win-win-win situation for the offenders being rehabilitated, the animals, and the agencies.

Animal Shelter Work Gets Done

These fellows get in early in the a.m. (along with their supervisor crew chief) and have to immediately clean out all the (usually messed) kennels and take the dogs out (they also “cycle” all the dogs for time outside throughout the day), feed the dogs twice a day, help shelter visitors seeking a dog find a dog that matches the person’s needs. The trustees also sit with/pet/comfort the dogs. They do throughout-the-day and end-of-day clean up, and they are also the ones who come in on holidays when the shelter staff is “off,” to ensure the dogs, cats, and any other animals at the shelter are cared for throughout the day. Plus, it’s a hugh amount of laundry (towels, blankets, work clothes, etc.) they do daily to keep things cleaned up and comfortable for the shelter animals, as you might imagine.

This is an exemplary program, and it should be a model for other animal shelters andjustice programs in other areas of the country! The guys are great to work with, by the way, and do what they can for the animals.

FYI, the shelter has attempted to sometimes have women crews, but…there are insufficient numbers of women incarcerated who fit the requirements to keep that going consistently – and a shelter dog (and other shelter animals) – need consistent crews)