GRANITE, Okla. – The Oklahoma Department of Corrections' Oklahoma State Reformatory, the City of Altus Animal Control and the Altus Animal Welfare Association have created an obedience training program for abused and neglected dogs. Many of them were deemed unworthy of adoption due to behavior issues. The inaugural class began on June 24, and the once “unadoptable” dogs are now graduating and looking for new families.
The dogs stay at OSR for approximately a month and are paired with an inmate trainer. Currently, there are six inmate trainers, with each having a dog. They received dog handler training at other ODOC facilities before coming to OSR. They teach the dogs basic obedience skills, crate training, potty training, and socialization skills to make them adoptable. The dogs stay with their handlers all day, except during chow hall time. Their transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Like the men who reside here, these dogs have come to prison for a second chance. The inmates are as changed as the animals.
After graduation, the dogs return to the shelter ready to be adopted and a new group of dogs is brought to OSR. The graduates are sent back to the shelter with a personalized note from the handlers about their dog to give the future owner some insight into the dog’s personality and behavior, likes and dislikes. Two of the dogs have already been adopted by OSR staff, and Altus residents have already expressed interest in adopting the other four dogs once they become available. “Coop is coming to me and my family,” OSR staffer Angelia Maytubbie said. “We are so excited. From the first day I saw him, I was hooked.”
Unit Manager Matthew McKeown, who has been with ODOC for over 24 years, supervises the program. McKeown ensures the dogs are taken care of and the inmates have what they need to train and care for them. He says, “This program makes the yard feel better. The dogs bring a little harmony to the yard.” McKeown said one of the inmates told him it had been 13 years since he petted a dog, and it really meant so much to him.
This program was OSR Warden Chris Rankins’s idea. When he worked at another ODOC facility, they ran a similar program. He has an interest in nontraditional programs and has been working for a few years to get the dog training program established at OSR. “It gives the inmates a marketable skill they could use once released,” Rankins said. “It also gives the dogs a second chance for success.”
Rankins would like to eventually see the program become a way to certify service dogs. He also wants to help the animal shelter become a no-kill shelter. Saving 90% or more of the dogs and cats in shelters is the current benchmark for no-kill status. Current handlers are also training other inmates so more dogs can be enrolled in the program in hopes of reaching that goal.
There is no cost to Oklahoma taxpayers to run this program. Altus Animal Welfare Association provides all the food and supplies for the animals. “This is an amazing opportunity for everybody,” Farley Nash with Altus Animal Welfare Association said. “It’s an amazing partnership. I think everybody benefits from this.”
OSR is now the fifth Oklahoma prison providing animal training and rehabilitation. ODOC appreciates all the community partners who make these great programs a reality, which change the lives of our incarcerated population and their furry friends.
