By Kaitlyn Klepec
The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — The McLean County Sheriff’s Office recently welcomed a facility dog with the help of Paws Giving Independence, a nonprofit organization that trained and linked the dog to the sheriff’s office for free.
Daisie, a 2-year-old yellow lab, is Paws Giving Independence’s first dog that has been paired with a detention center. In her new job, the people-loving pup Daisie helps jailed individuals and jail staff alike.
“Now, people say hi to her more than they do to me,” said Daisie’s handler, Lt. Matthew Proctor with a laugh during a recent interview with The Pantagraph.
Proctor, assistant superintendent of the detention facility, said he has always loved dogs, so becoming the handler for the facility dog was a no-brainer for him. He has also been working hand-in-hand with the mental health and behavioral team, making him the perfect fit to become a handler, he said.
While Daisie is primarily taken care of by Proctor, the sheriff’s office handles all of her financial needs, such as food, veterinary visits, leashes, gear and, of course, lots and lots of treats.
“We have toys in different parts of the building,” McLean County Sheriff Matt Lane said.
“We all have treats on our desks,” Jail Superintendent Diane Hughes added.
Paws Giving Independence is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based out of Peoria that offers assistance to individuals with a variety of disabilities by linking them to service dogs. The organization trains facility dogs as well as therapy dogs.
Donna Kosner founded Paws Giving Independence in 2008 along with her daughter, Michelle Yuen, and her daughter’s best friend, Brandi Weyers. The nonprofit is accredited by Assistance Dogs International, which brings in and links furry friends to people in need all over the world.
Kosner said her 100% volunteer organization partners with local churches and businesses to be able to train and place the dogs at no cost to the receiver.
Lane said he felt inspired to attain a facility dog when a service dog trainer asked if they could bring a dog to the jail.
“It was an automatic yes,” Lane said. “The effect that dog had on the inmate population is what tipped the scales for me.”
Lane explained that residents who usually could not do daily functions or speak in a complete sentence became “totally coherent” when the dog was around.
He and others in his department immediately began inquiring about getting a facility dog of their own.
Kosner said her organization tests the dogs’ temperaments to make sure they’re placed in the best environments possible.
“We train for about two years; over those two years we observe, as we are linking the dogs to a good fit,” she said.
She added, “Every Tuesday for four months, the handler does a certification training.”
Proctor trained for a total of 24 hours minimum for two hours at a time, every Tuesday. Each handler attends training once a month for six months after completion of the 24-hour program.
Proctor and Kosner said the training for service dogs and facility dogs is the same; it’s just the final certification that’s different. During training, the handler works with a dog trainer until the dog gets used to their handler.
Then, the dog is paired with the handler and goes to live with them. The handler will take the dog to their facility to learn commands and behavior at the workplace.
Proctor began training with Daisie after applying through Paws Giving Independence about a year ago to be linked with a facility dog. He began training in late May and graduated from the program in the first week of September.
“The organization is excellent, the volunteers are excellent, everybody that I encountered and the recipients — everybody in that group was excellent to work with,” Proctor said.
Paws For Independence offers student trainer partnerships through Bradley University in Peoria and Illinois State University in Normal. Daisie was trained by a Bradley student for several months before Proctor was brought into the training, he said.
“There’s a lot of therapeutic value,” Hughes, the jail superintendent, said of having a facility dog. “Daisie visiting can be a booster and a morale lifter for the staff and the inmates as well.”
The pup has helped in many ways, from substance abuse counseling and individual counseling to voter registration and many public events, too. Daisie also has gone to the training academy in Decatur, where she first meets the officers she will work with later.
Daisie accompanies Proctor to spend time with inmates who have mental health challenges, and they call it “Daisie time.” Jailed individuals feel calm while with Daisie, Lane said. She is also used as a reward system for jail residents.
“It can be something as easy as taking a shower or moving cells,” Lane said, explaining the reward system. “She’s been a tool, so there’s no hands-on.”
He also noted having Daisie around can help prevent jail staff from having to use forceful measures with inmates.
Lane, Proctor and Hughes all said they recommend other jails consider getting a facility dog, having seen rewards and benefits for both the staff at the jail and the incarcerated individuals.
“Jail is a stressful place for the individuals here as well,” Hughes said of the staff.
“Everybody gets to see her, love on her, she calms people down,” Lane added.
For more information on Paws Giving Independence, visit givingindependence.org.
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