Dogs Behind Bars

Dogs, whom we have considered our best friends for thousands of years, have been our companions since the birth of civilisation when we hunted together and they protected us. As the history of mankind and its needs changed, the role of dogs changed accordingly, opening up new and previously undiscovered areas.

I have a gut feeling as I arrive into a whole new world. I feel uncomfortable and very tense, even though I know I’ll only be confined temporarily. I’m waiting to be admitted within the oppressive confines of a concrete wall. There are big security gates, wide open spaces where I can’t see anyone, yet I know I am being watched. Doors open almost as if by themselves. A totally different world, tearing me out of the safety and comfort zone of my everyday life. This confined world bordered by fences is not just about physical isolation.
There are different written and unwritten rules. I feel my own uncertainty in this unknown, unfathomable world. Different stimuli, a life rigidly controlled and regulated. My first ever visit to a prison.

The convict sitting opposite me might be the same age as me. He fidgets nervously, just as much as I do. He clasps an envelope in his hands. He tells me he has been here for a while and will be staying for a few more years. He doesn’t tell me what he committed and I’m not allowed to ask. And it doesn’t really matter now.

Years will pass before he is allowed to step out into the world I’ve just come from. The world that gives me safety. Years will pass, but he will return to the environment which he has sinned against. His crime is certainly not petty or trivial at all.
And there is the crucial question of what his return will be like. What the years in prison have done to him and what is left of the personality that got him to a place where he has lived for a more than a decade.

The atmosphere changes at once when we start talking about my reason for being there. The envelope, slightly crumpled but apparently much cared for, is opened up. A photo. Of him and a dog. Looking into the camera, proudly.
He finds his tongue, the tongue-tied manner is gone, the ice melts, as if there were no guards at the door, watching the two of us for several different reasons. I don’t even have to try to think up any more questions.

He says it was the best dog, the smartest one. And he adds that this is his unbiased opinion. For two months, they worked together several times most days. When they first met, it was just an abandoned dog with minimal socialisation. But it was able to learn basic obedience commands while they were together. The photo was taken at the successful official end-of-course exam. That is all he has left of those two months: the photo in his hands and the twinkle I can still see in his eyes. And that twinkle is the reason why I went there, to which I’m seeking the answer.

What makes anyone wicked or bad? What makes them do things defined as wrong?
How far can genes be blamed—or is it a troubled childhood that creates a personality destined to commit certain things and is there any forgiveness later?
Can these distorted personality traits be altered if we have responsibility for someone else? A four-legged creature which left the wilderness behind and gradually, throughout the centuries, became a domestic animal, a companion of our everyday life. Voluntarily, honestly, consistently. And the most crucial question of all: can this bond, the feeling of responsibility and its joy, be adapted later on to develop human relationships? In the case of a fully developed personality, after so many years, with imprinted behavioural patterns?

There are dogs behind bars programmes conducted at several places around the world in different schemes, most typically with stray dogs from shelters. The pariahs of two different societies meet and team up together. In some cases, prisoners may keep a dog or another pet in the compound. The one I got to know closely was just a two-month long programme, co-operating with a nearby shelter.
On one hand, it is beneficial to the shelter dogs, as it might be easier for a dog to get adopted when has learned basic obedience. On the other hand, it might be beneficial to the convicts.

Modern prisons are mainly about reintegration: the function of a prison is not only the separation of the convict from society for a while, punishing culprits and protecting society from them temporarily, but also the preparation of their return to society.

There are different types of programmes like this. They are mostly educational, focused on the improvement of skills that might be of great help when leaving prison-life behind. Social events, such as drama groups or choirs, might provide a sense of belonging, that of team spirit, and the joy of creation. Also these have a mental health benefit and are about a chance to ‘escape’ for a while too.
It is still an unanswered question whether these experiences can change anything in case of a deviant attitude, especially knowing the infamously cruel inner life of prisons.

The extent to which the therapeutic use of dogs might help reintegrate convicts, now, and primarily from a psychological aspect, is still an area requiring more study and research. But one thing is sure: the case I got to know closely during two months’ training with dogs turned the world of convicts upside down in a really positive sense.

According to the prison psychologist, those taking part in the programme became relaxed and calm even in a case of a suicidal tendency or strong aggression. The mere fact that something that was absolutely different from the daily routine was going to happen threw the convicts into a excitement.
Convicts having been separated from society found themselves in an utterly new situation where they faced a living creature who was entrusted to them, and became their responsibility. It changed them. Whether this alteration was permanent or it was just enough for those few months is the secret of the future.

Acceptance. Adaptation. Care. The most frequently used words I heard from everyone during my visit.

I followed the afterlife of the programme. Subsequent to my visit, another programme started in a similar system. The convict I met did not know at the time that he would join the programme again, but this time as an assistant to the trainer. He got an even bigger role and more responsibility.

The fact of the restart of the programme hopefully means the birth of a new tradition, and all the plans for the future that the warden talked about with such enthusiasm will become real. I do believe that the theoretical speculations I exchanged with the prison psychologist on our grim way to the district about the long-term results of such a canine programme will become a reality.

We must believe that there is a way back and the human psyche is able to repair itself. This belief is important for both society and those people who have sinned against it and thus became an outcast. Whether we like it or not, they will return to society one day.

Canine therapies are being used to help people suffering from behavioural or personality disorders in several places around the world. It is just a matter of time to gain the experience and the scientific answer to the question: are dogs, our best friends, able to make an inhumane world more humane?

Image: Dreamstime