Dogs as Therapeutic Partners, Not Therapeutic Tools: Ethical Considerations for AAT in the Correctional Setting
Abstract
:1. Introduction
…the question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being?… The time will come when humanity will extend its mantle over everything which breathes…Jeremy Bentham (1789)
“a goal oriented, planned and structured therapeutic intervention directed and/or delivered by health, education and human service professionals. Intervention progress is measured and included in professional documentation. AAT is delivered and/or directed by a formally trained professional with expertise within the scope of the professionals’ practice. AAT focuses on enhancing physical, cognitive, behavioral and/or socio-emotional functioning of the particular human recipient”.
2. Literature Review
3. Methods
3.1. Parenting, Prison & Pups (PPP)
3.2. Sample
3.3. Data Collection and Analysis
4. Results
4.1. AAT, PPP & Therapy Dog Appropriateness
Clinically, I see that it helps with engagement. It helps us to understand the impediments to bonding in human relationships by watching the way the clients can or cannot interact with the dog.
My whole life I saw and I felt that dogs were healing. Who doesn’t want to pet a dog? I saw dogs at different functions and then my daughter had surgery. She was next to the Ronald McDonald House and I saw the dogs go in there to heal the children. When I got [my dog], I thought she had the perfect sensibilities for it.
I was involved in equine therapy and I was talking with someone who told me about dog assisted therapy. I love dogs and I love therapy. I was like, you’re kidding! It was the perfect match.
Everything about it interested me. I always worked with underserved populations, especially during the AIDS crisis. The jail population was always an area I wanted to get involved with but I never could access it. Second, I liked working with women. Third, I liked the parenting piece and I had firsthand experience. When you put together all those pieces, it was perfect.
I was so excited. I have been a forensic social worker for 15 years. And to think about innovative programs and ways to do things better in trauma work both inside and outside the facility was exciting. I was so grateful to engage in therapeutic work with my dog because I never did it before.
It was pretty easy—he was a release dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. They have a subset of dogs who are fully trained and just about to be reassigned but for some reason there is an issue in one area; if that issue cannot be remediated, they are placed for adoption.
The most important character is temperament and secondly is intelligence. They have to be well trained. They have to be able to concentrate. They have to be able to work with other dogs there. He’s a working dog and he knows the difference between play and work as soon as I take out the bandana.
[It’s] their body language. Are they happily engaging and looking around to see who wants to engage with them? Are they comfortable and just grabbing a snooze or are they stress napping? You have to look at their body language to see if they are reacting to sound in a negative way… If the ladies called him over and he thought about it but decided against it and turned back toward the handler, that is a sign. Do they have to be coerced to engage? And it might not be about the women but about the environment. You want loose, happy, body language.
4.2. Ensuring Dog Safety
Any dog which is aggressive toward other dogs. Any kind of aggression is a rule out immediately. You also need to look at the dog’s ability to be trained, bond, relate to others, both adults and children, and their ability to discriminate between work and play.
If I have to use a lot of treats to encourage her to engage, she is not loving it. This is why she likes the prison. The room is open and she can go from person to person. She can be mobile and she gets a lot of attention. She also loved reading to the kids. If she is not enjoying it, she will get closer to me.
She will walk away, pant or stay constantly on me. If she’s done, she will come over and nudge me. We went to a school of 5th and 6th graders and they were all over her. She was tolerant of it but after a while she was done. She came over and nudged me.
It is not always a tail wagging. Tail wagging doesn’t necessarily mean a dog is happy. But if he’s wagging and looking to engage, then he’s happy. Body language is not universal. Dogs express themselves in different ways. In the training, they learn to read their dogs and it helps them to better bond with their dog. You will learn if your dog’s tail wag is happiness or uncertainty.
Yes at the ACS (Administration for Children Services) foster place. The foster kids came in screaming and they were touching him too much. It was noisy and chaotic. I didn’t go back. I didn’t leave because it was a place where you had to be escorted in and out but I pulled him over to me and held him. I sat on the floor with him. I put my arm around him and I was very strict about them touching him.
At this school some of the kids were touching or pulling her tail and poking her. I just moved her and we left. I also visited a day treatment program and one of the young adults was getting anxious. He was screaming, yelling and clapping. She did not exhibit signs of stress but I thought it was too much. I just moved her to a different area.
Yes when he was cornered by all of those children. It was the only time. I got in-between him and the children and I gave them instructions on how to touch him and how not to touch to him. I didn’t want him to be afraid and I didn’t want the children to be afraid. I just moved him away and showed them what to do. It was a positive experience and we always want to be a positive experience.
When we have visited nursing homes she is not as engaged. No one else would notice it but that’s why you have to be an advocate for your dog. She would just stand there and let them pet her but she wasn’t really enjoying it, so we just don’t go.
He did not really enjoy visiting with the adults with autism. He is ok with groups and he is ok with unpredictable noises, but depending on the situation, he doesn’t like the two combined. There were always five to a dozen people and they were unpredictable. He tolerated it but he didn’t enjoy it and I didn’t think it was a good fit long term. We went five or six times to see if he would become more acclimated but it was just not something he enjoyed, so we stopped going.
It was non-stop. I am way too introspective for my own good, so I was constantly evaluating the setting and her in that setting. Since the focus was on her, there was no time to think about myself.
[I was watching her] the whole time. You have to pay attention to the signs of stress- it is part of the training. We even learned that if we feel they are stressed, we should just touch them and that can help to calm them.
I don’t go in unless the site is approved by [name of therapy dog organization]. It is vetted before we are allowed to volunteer there. They certify the site. There is a whole checklist of what they do to certify the setting.
They [name of therapy dog organization] are wonderful and make volunteering so easy. They scope out everything first and make sure it’s safe. They ensure that you have insurance and the clientele is safe. They do their due diligence before we go.
Not more than 2–3 times per week but it really depends on the type of visit. If it was the nursing home, probably three times. If it was the jail, probably two.
4.3. Training, Recertification & Ethics
We are evaluated yearly. You have the vet stuff, being up-to-date with shots and then you pay a fee and you to go to a place to meet with a trainer and they have to do all of the commands like sit, stay, and down. They have to walk loosely on a leash. They have to be able to walk by things on the ground like food. The trainer will make loud noises and they have to be able to withstand that.
[The PPP director was] very clear about the program, the syllabus, the nature of the population, what the setting was like and the requirements for entering and leaving. We also had all of those meetings and I had an orientation at the jail and one with [the director] in NYC.
I felt overprepared but in a good way. [The] training was so comprehensive about the course. [There was] a lot of information on the content about positive communication, improving relationships and the different parenting styles. Information is power and before I didn’t really know what was happening so I found this to be very helpful and fascinating. The jail orientation [at the WCDOC] was great. The man who ran it was superb, interactive and engaging. He gave us information on any possible situation that could happen. I loved that. I would not want to go in and be in a situation where no one told me that it could possibly happen. I felt the jail was very flexible and so responsive.
I was as prepared as I could be but I don’t think you are ever totally prepared to go in until you go in.
Yes they were very clear about the requirements and understanding the dog’s mood. You have to know what signs to look for like excessive licking, whining or looking for the door. The [name of organization] had a checklist to review to make sure the dog was comfortable.
[The name of organization] always told us to look for signs of fear and anxiety and do what’s best for our dog at any cost. When she started talking about this, my ears perked up because of my background. If we feel any situation is stressful, we are told to exit the facility. If the dog is not comfortable, you shouldn’t be there.
4.4. The Jail Specifics of AAT
The only time was when there were coffee grounds on the floor and he licked them. He was sick later but I never knew if it was because of that. The women mopped the floor every time before we came in after that. But I never saw him show any signs of stress. I know him so well and he would show signs of panting, hiding and shaking [if he was stressed]. He is so excited to be there. He loves the staff and the women equally—they have no learned prejudice. He sees them all as wonderful.
Yes the elevator. When we first went to the jail, we used a service elevator. I have been inside a regular elevator with her but they don’t move as jerkily. She was petrified. The facility was so nice - they allowed us to walk outside to one of the other entrances so we didn’t have to take the elevator. That made a huge difference.
During the graduation, we were in a big room that was very sterile. I think she was really unhappy. It wasn’t the amount of people because she has done reading programs with 20 kids petting her but I think the room was too large. There was like an echo. I kept her next to me and hand on her the whole time.
If something happens, you want a good recovery in like thirty seconds where they don’t even remember what happened. … [We had] that one class where we had that guy in solitary who was banging on the door. It was pretty consistent for those two hours we were there. If there is one outburst, the dog can easily recover but with the case of the guy banging on the door, it becomes a chaotic environment sound wise. I choose dogs carefully that I thought would be ok. Most of the teams were also trained in crisis response where we test for unusual situations and sounds. We don’t usually test for that level of noise in the regular therapy class.
[My dog] was used to working in institutional settings. As long as I am with him, he feels secure. I never have him off leash. He relates well. He is a secure animal. My wife takes him to a nursing home and when the alarms and sirens go off, he acts like he doesn’t even hear it. In the training, they will walk up behind you and drop a stack of books to see how the dog reacts to the noise and he doesn’t react at all. He doesn’t react to wheelchairs or people wearing masks. The training really tries to mimic real world settings.
On day one I was nervous but there were a lot of protocols and procedures to promote safety. The waiting could be long but I don’t think there was anything that could be done because we had to go through the process. I don’t think they could have done anything better. I never felt like they needed to do anything more to make me or her feel safe.
At first it was safety. It was a different venue than we were used to or have ever done. But my concern was laid to rest after going there. Physically I felt safe. It was clean. When we went there, everything felt fine and since it was done before, there was no hesitation on my part.
There were two dogs and two trainers. Usually there is just me and [my dog].
The biggest difference was being in one room rather than moving from room to room.
Just the security. You have go through the metal detectors and be mindful of dress.
I’m the one that’s usually running the session. It’s usually unstructured and this was structured. I wasn’t the leader. I have been in groups before with my dog but I was leading the session.
It is a typical visit but I take precautions with what I say. I can be more open with what I am talking about when I visit a nursing home for example. I can talk to the patients about my grandchildren. The jail orientation made it clear that we should not share personal information. I could share that I had grandchildren but nothing too personal about them. So I was little more conscious with what I was saying. I was conscious of everything because I knew this program was a big part of their day and I wanted to do right by them.
It was longer. It was usually 2½ hours by the time we went in and out and sometimes it might be three. Typical visits are only an hour. You have to see if the dog can handle that duration. There are also different noises and activities that will be encountered. We expected different things from these dogs, a higher standard.
No, we have the same routine. I tell her that we are going to work. She has a special work leash. I put it on her and she does react differently when we get out of the car at the jail. She is less excited when we visit the nursing home. I think is she excited about the jail because we have that long walk outside where she can sniff and it amps her up.
No I approach any therapy visit by making sure she had exercise for a few hours beforehand and also a walk before. There would be no difference in my approach.
I had to dress down, where I might dress up for other places. I am freer to wear what I want when I visit other places. Here I would not wear makeup or jewelry. I would wear my baggy pants. In a way it was a nice break from having to dress up.
Just that I had to buy a bra without wires.
I had to prepare in terms of what I packed. I had to pack a clear water container and a clear bag with [my dog’s] treats.
He loved it. He got all the attention and everyone was fussing over him.
She would walk around and engage everyone and she was excited when Wednesday (the day of the class) would come.
Yes very much. He always pulled me to go in, although without other signs that does not necessarily mean he likes it. It could be that it was a familiar place. But his body language, when he did that stretch and his willingness to engage showed he enjoyed it. He has a big open mouth, almost smiling. A sparkle in his eye and his tail would wag in a very loose way.
Yes he loved his trips to the jail. He would almost pull my arm right out of the socket when we got to the parking lot trying to get inside. You could see his joyfulness and exuberation. He’s so happy and he is doing what happy dogs do, which is wagging his tail.
People were petting him as soon as he got there, like staff, and he thought, this is great. There was nothing to make him think this was different than any other visit.
She was excited as soon as I put the red vest on her.
Always good and engaged. Everyone reacts differently. If someone was excited to see her, she was excited. If someone was calm, she would sit next to them and be calm.
He loosened up as we got there and as people petted him, he was very content and wanted to be pet more. He would be very engaged.
He was very interested in what was going on.
He was more subdued. He wasn’t stressed. When I was going regularly, he was engaged. But when I filled in one time for someone, I don’t think he was used to it and he didn’t seem as engaged. But when we were coming in and going out, the women were hugging and petting him and he was fine with it.
There was no difference. He is always the same after each visit. He’s not tired. Normal. He was always ready for a nap after being there for a few hours.
I think she was more exhausted than after a typical visit because it was longer.
4.5. The Handler’s Experience
I valued the program and working with women who were mistreated and marginalized. I could see it working each and every week. Even how they might reframe a question when they called home to talk to their family and then they would share that experience with the group.
I loved it. I thought it was amazing watching the women open up and how different they were from the beginning to the end. They shared their experiences and the changes they need to make internally. It was amazing.
Two other handlers also spoke about the benefits of working with dogs in programs like PPP:It’s brilliant. There are so many programs at the jail and they receive so many certificates, which I see when I meet with my clients. But the ones that had animals, which are far and few in between, they can tell me all about. The other ones, they can’t. This tells me that programs with animals are engaging and they remember the information. They can think back on them for another reason (the experience with the animal) and remember a skill they learned. It gives them the ability to connect this experience to other situations in life. They learn patience and how to be calm and how to care for another.
I enjoyed it. It was nice to see how quickly the women opened up with the dogs there. They got a lot out of the class [My dog] brought brightness to a place that was not a very bright spot in their future.
It has been an enriching experience personally and professionally to go through this program. It has brought me closer to [my dog] to have shared this with him. It is a very intimate program to deal with something so precious, like their children, and they are grieving and dealing with loss on so many levels. It was inspiring. Having him there just added to it and he added to their experience and made it special.
I am very impressed. I am impressed by [the director] and the support the jail has given. I can equate this to when we go into a school. If we don’t have buy in from the staff, it doesn’t work. A lot of the success of a program, as with the women, is the professionalism. It comes across as warm and very relatable to the women but also professional. So, they feel valued and I think that makes them feel good.
5. Discussion
5.1. Limitations and Future Research
5.2. Implications
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Team | Handler’s Gender | Time w/Current Dog | Handler’s AAT Experience | Handler Education | Dog’s Gender | Dog’s Breed | Dog’s Age | Dog Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | male | 5 years | none | MA—Social Work | male | Black Lab | 8 years | Guiding Eyes |
2 | male | 4 years | none | MA—Science Education | female | English lab | 4 years | breeder |
3 | female | 3 years | none | J.D. | male | Yellow lab | 8 years | breeder |
4 | female | 1.6 years | none | BA—Psychology; BS—Nursing | female | St. Bernard | 3 years | adopted |
5 | female | 3 years | none | MA—Social Work | female | Chihuahua | 5 years | rescue |
6 | female | 1 year | none | High school | female | Chocolate lab/Shar-pei, | 5 years | rescue |
7 | female | 4.5 years | none | MA—Social Work | male | Labradoodle | 5 years | breeder |
8 | female | 4 years | 3 years | Hish school | male | German Shepperd | 6 years | Guiding Eyes |
9 | female | 4 years | 19 years | MA—Social Work | female | Labradoodle mix | 6 years | rescue |
10 | female | 4 years | 12 years | AA—Business | female | Cotton de Tular | 5 years | rescue |
11 | female | 5 years | none | MA—Social Work | male | Labradoodle | 6 years | breeder |
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Collica-Cox, K.; Day, G.J. Dogs as Therapeutic Partners, Not Therapeutic Tools: Ethical Considerations for AAT in the Correctional Setting. Soc. Sci. 2021, 10, 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10110432
Collica-Cox K, Day GJ. Dogs as Therapeutic Partners, Not Therapeutic Tools: Ethical Considerations for AAT in the Correctional Setting. Social Sciences. 2021; 10(11):432. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10110432
Chicago/Turabian StyleCollica-Cox, Kimberly, and George J. Day. 2021. "Dogs as Therapeutic Partners, Not Therapeutic Tools: Ethical Considerations for AAT in the Correctional Setting" Social Sciences 10, no. 11: 432. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10110432