Some info on the kids.......

I will give as much info about the kids as I can. Like I said before, I cannot give their real names and any pictures I post will only be from behind them or from the neck down, no faces. I'm thinking for now I will just use their initials.



The girls....



There are three girls in class right now, all are there for pretty much the same reason and all of them are dual diagnosis too, which means they've been diagnosed with two different mental illnesses.



H (Lilly)- The first week of class is all classroom work and for this program we tried something new. We took a field trip to the shelter the dogs are staying at. H had previously been very quiet in class. After our visit to the shelter we went back to class and discussed how the kids felt about the shelter and dogs. H immediately spoke up and said, "those dogs are locked up just like us" and she asked if she could go back to the shelter to help clean the dogs cages because "no animal should have to live like that". I had the kids make a list of three dogs they would like to work with. H listed 1)Cass 2)Awestin 3)Midnight. I try to give the kids their first choice and if that doesn't work move down the list. When I got to H I had already assigned her three choices to other students. So, I assigned Lilly to H. She got upset and told me it wasn't fair. The following week after our first hour with the dogs. H came up to me in the classroom with the piece of paper with her list on it. She handed it to me and asked me to throw it out because she didn't want to remember that Lilly was not on that list. H is already very stressed out over Lilly leaving the program or getting a different trainer. She talks about it everyday. She will really miss Lilly but by the time H graduates from class she will have learned more about herself, what she has gained as a person, and what she has done for the dogs. H has already expressed interest in working as a mentor for the next session and possibly working with our program once she's "on the outs" (back home).

A (Tucker) – A is paired with Tucker and is also working with K (one of the boys in class) A is extremely helpful in class and working great with K. She is even trying to push K towards putting forth more effort while training. She likes to help out the other kids too. T (one of the boys) had a problem taking his dog, Happy, out of the cage one day and I demonstrated how to do it properly. A walked over and suggested an easier way for T and she was absolutely right! (I love it when the kids come up with a better way of doing things then the norm!) She’s pretty quiet in class but when she speaks up she is always right on the ball! A will be transferred soon to a different facility which is very disappointing for me. She's doing such a great job and her therapist has seen a huge change in her self esteem since starting the class. I can only pray that she doesn't lose what she has learned in this short time.

N (Cass) – N has been very quiet so far. She likes working on her own, away from everyone else. She’s doing an excellent job with her dog. She’s working with Cass, 100% male Pit Bull and unbelievably strong. N has his full attention and is great at keeping him focused. She speaks up when she’s having problems with him and works on each problem diligently until it is corrected. N seems a little uncomfortable in class and I think it might be because of the boys. I get the feeling she doesn't like to be around them so much. N seems very mature for her age, I think she's 15. N has also had a big improvement with her self esteem since starting class.

The boys.......

D (Midnight)– D was very quiet in class at first. After the visit to the shelter he really opened up and contributes a lot to class. He is doing well with his dog, Midnight, he sometimes needs encouragement to keep working though. Last Thursday in class D was quite disruptive in class and made a comment to H while she was reading something out of her journal to the class. When he realized what he said upset H, he tried to correct it, but it seemed everything that came out just upset her more. I won’t call a kid out in class in front of everyone so I addressed the whole class before they left telling them that I expect the same respect as other staff and expect each of them to respect each other as well. After class, D apologized. He also apologized at the beginning of the next class to me again and to H. D has also been trying to be helpful as far as passing out folders, papers, etc., in class. I have seen lots of smiles from D! I loves when he is able to accomplish something with Midnight or when he answers a question correctly in class. D's family is from another country and apparently the men are very disrespectful of woman. Example, his mother is not allowed to speak in counseling sessions unless his father allows her too. I think D is learning some respect for me, the volunteers, and the girls in class and I think he's enjoying the response he is getting because of it! We always try not to pick favorites but secretly, D is one of my favorites!

N (Awestin) – I was told in the beginning that N would have a problem with eye contact, that he was having difficulty keeping his eyes above the neck while speaking to women. So far, I haven’t seen him do that at all. He is always looking me in the eyes when speaking (and he talks a lot!) with me and has been respectful. Sometimes he talks to much in class. I addressed it in class last Thursday and N and D apologized to me after class. N told me Thursday that he has never really “wanted” to be anything when he gets older and now he would really like to be a Veterinarian or something in the animal field! He loves comparing his feelings to a dogs feelings and puts himself in the dogs paws. N and D apparently have not gotten along too well in the past but seem to be getting along fine in class. N is Bi-racial and in the past has had trouble feeling like he "fits in". He seems to be building a couple good friendships in class and seems to be feeling good about himself.

T (Happy) – T is trying so hard but he gets distracted so easily and it doesn't surprise me that his dog, Happy, is the most difficult dog in the program. The kids tend to pick the dog that is most like them, without even realizing it. T is determined to train Happy and works all hour without taking a break. He told me that training Happy will need a lot of patience and patience is what he himself needs to work on. One of our volunteers has been focusing on T and Happy and it’s working out well. T needs that extra one on one attention to keep focused. Maybe next session he'll do better working on his own. That is definitely my goal for him.

K (Tucker & A) – K seemed very hesitant to do the work, until recently! He is working with A and Tucker. Tucker was responding more to A. I explained to K how dogs read body language and respond better to a higher tone of voice. He had said he feels that what I’m asking him to do is not “manly”. He didn't have any problems with his body language and tone shortly after our discussion! He was all smiles while doing it too! He just needed some time on his own to work on it, A worked with H and Lilly during this time. In class he does not want to share anything he is writing in his journal but if I ask him questions he’ll answer everyone of them and seems very pleased with himself after sharing. K will also be leaving the program early, possibly this week. Another disappointment for me. He's just coming out of his shell and realizing he really can accomplish things if he just works at it. I'm afraid he'll lose that if he doesn't have more time to work on it.

These kids are really not "bad" kids, they just don't know that. They've grown up in terrible situations that most of us can't even imagine. Some have been constantly told they are no good, can't accomplish anything, and will go no where in life, expect jail, which is why they are in jail. Some have been used, abused, and uncared for. The word "jail" sounds awful but really this is the best place for them. Not only are they paying for the crime they committed but they are learning a lot about themselves and receiving some great thearpy that will help them be a better person when they leave.

So, there they are, "my kids". I tend to start calling the kids in my classes "my kids" after a couple sessions and the dogs become "my dogs". I get very attached to them all. I am a weeping baby at graduation! In the past I've had the opportunity to continue seeing my kids on several different occasions after they graduate. This time, once they leave the facility, I may never see them again. I'm not sure right now how I'll deal with that. It will drive my crazy wanting to know how they are doing and what they are doing. I guess it will be bitter sweet if I don't see them again, because if I do, it will be because they are back in jail and I certainly don't want that for them. I have a feeling a few of the kids will keep in contact somehow and will probably end up helping us out at our summer camps and in the rescues. We have a couple kids from one of our other locations that continue to help us out whenever and where ever they can.

Hopefully tomorrow after class I'll have some time to post a few pictures and talk about class!

Thanks for reading!