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Jean-Paul “JP” Bonnelly can attest that even the most seemingly tough guys can have the softest hearts for man’s best friend.
It was three months ago when Bonnelly was first introduced to the PAWS in Prison program, where dogs are trained by inmates then put up for adoption.
“I got a call from Camp Wolfgang in Ennis, Texas, and they asked if I’d take over the program,” Bonnelly said. “They already had 10 dogs in the program.”
Bonnelly soon found himself at Sanders Estes Correctional Facility in Venus, Texas, with inmates incarcerated for crimes such as drugs and manslaughter.
“I said I was interested,” Bonnelly said. “You think of prison and the movies.”
The inmates have to go through an application process and no violent offenders or sex offenders are allowed in the program.
“It’s about 20 offenders, two offenders per dog,” Bonnelly said. “The rules are very strict. They have to be on their best behavior.”
The program, which is eight weeks long, trains the dogs in obedience and other areas so they can be adoptable. Camp Wolfgang, a German Shepherd rescue shelter, supplies the dogs and supplies.
“They [dogs] live in their cells,” Bonnelly said. “They have a little crate they can sleep in, which is great because it helps with their crate training.”
After the eight weeks, there is a graduation ceremony. Eight out of the 10 dogs in the program have already been adopted. German shepherd mixes Dusty and Mercury are still waiting for homes.
“They’re both great dogs,” Bonnelly said. “There’s one offender who wants to adopt Mercury.”
For the past eight years, Bonnelly has been training dogs at shelters and professionally. It was after a job layoff that Bonnelly decided to pursue a lifelong passion for training dogs professionally.
“I used to work at Nortel and got laid off in 2001,” Bonnelly said. “I worked for my friend who had a pet care facility.”
Bonnelly, who works for Texas Instruments, started his own dog training business, The Republic of Dog, where he uses rewarding dogs as part of training. He is a certified dog trainer.
The PAWS in Prison program has not only given dogs a second chance, but the inmates also get a second chance.
“You see some of the burliest guys and you can tell when they [dogs] leave, they’ve really touched their lives,” Bonnelly said.
Some of the inmates have been so touched by the dogs that many of them would like to become dog trainers.
“I think that’s inspiring as well,” Bonnelly said.
Bonnelly, who has three dogs of his own, Sisko, Lightning and Miss Piggy, visits the prison twice a week for the program. Although currently on break, the program will start back up in January.
Since Bonnelly has taken over PAWS in Prison, disciplinary actions for the inmate participants in the program has dropped by 80 percent.
On Dec. 20, the dogs graduated from the program. Bonnelly said it was hard for the prisoners to let go of the dogs they had become attached to. But the prisoners aren’t the only ones who have become attached to the dogs.
“Me, personally, you get attached to the dogs after eight weeks and you also build bonds with the offenders,” Bonnelly said.
Contact staff writer Stefanie White at swhite@acnpapers.com. To post comments online, access this story at www.scntx.com.
