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 The 35-year-old inmate is part of a small team of women prisoners in
Phoenix, Arizona who work with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Animal Safety Unit (MASH). The program is designed to help comfort
and train mistreated and neglected animals rescued from deplorable
conditions.
But the rehabilitation goes much further than helping the abused
animals.
"Along the way, we provide the rehabilitation for not just the
animals but for the inmates as well," William Sibole, a detention
officer with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, told Reuters.
Six days a week the women in the program are transported to the
animal shelter in a former men's jail where rows of cells, some
adorned with dog portraits and animal murals, have been renamed Bow
Wow Way, Purr Lane, 2nd Chance and Ruff Road.
Since the former men's jail was converted into a holding center to
provide a safe haven for the animals in 2000, thousands of mainly
dogs, cats and horses have been cared for and adopted.
Tiger, a pit bull terrier rescued from a dog fighting ring, became
the beloved mascot for MASH during his nearly nine-year stay, before
leaving to live with a family.
Once the animals are healthy and social some of them may be taken by
detention officers to another program at the Maricopa County jail
facilities to interact with other prisoners.
MASH said it is the only agency in the United States that
investigates animal cruelty complaints, rescues the animals, houses
and cares for them and arranges adoptions.
Hazelett and the other women in the female-only program that lasts
at least 30 days are interviewed and rigorously screened before they
are accepted. They work with detention officers and animal care
technicians to acquire the training skills necessary to get the dogs
ready for adoption. Some of the hundreds of graduates have gone on
to jobs in the pet industry. Two are studying to become veterinarian
technicians.
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"I get so much out of it, probably more than the dogs do," Hazelett
said in an interview. "It's very therapeutic for me as well, not
just them, which was an unexpected, pleasant surprise."
For Aubrey Herrera, a 31-year-old woman serving time for a probation
violation for theft and drug charges, caring for the dogs is the
highlight of each day.
Patience is what she said the program has taught her.
"These dogs are locked up just like we are and they need love just
like we do," she explained. "It's not about us when we come here.
It's about the dogs and making sure they're taken care of and loved
and bathed - that they know what it's like to feel loved."
Click on http://reut.rs/2r1q1Rv to see a related photo essay
(Writing by Patricia Reaney; editing by Diane Craft)
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