Published on MLive.com

MUSKEGON, MI -- The German shepherd with no social manners and a serious lack of potty training had found purpose, love and firm guidance in, of all places, a prison.

Odin, a rescued stray, returned the love and respect to the Muskegon prisoners tasked with his 24-hour supervision and training. He changed the inmates. He gave them purpose.

But then, coronavirus hit halfway into his training and Odin was sent back to a shelter, his future uncertain.

Though his training was incomplete, Odin caught the attention of Sydney Boyte and Matthew Pringle, of Port Huron, when they were visiting the Muskegon Humane Society. The couple originally was interested in another dog at the shelter, but when they heard about Odin, they asked to meet him.

“As soon as we met him, we knew he was the one,” Pringle said. “He is a one of a kind dog.”

Pringle and Boyte were struck by the dog’s intelligence, and it didn’t take long during their visit to the shelter for the couple to appreciate the inmates’ efforts. Odin was able to shake with both hands, was potty trained and obeyed commands.

“That prison did an awesome job training him and everyone who meets him says they are very surprised by how well he listens,” Pringle said.

Living in a prison

In August 2019, the Muskegon Humane Society and the Ernest C. Brooks Correctional Facility created the first-of-its-kind, 12-week shelter dog training program.

The program is unique because shelter dogs live in the prison with the inmates. Other prison training programs typically bring dogs in for a few hours at a time, and the training usually is to prepare them to be service dogs.

The goal of the Brooks program is to make dogs deemed difficult more suitable for adoption. Along the way, they end up changing the lives of their inmate trainers.

The dogs move into the prison and live in the cells with two handlers who work one-on-one to promote confidence and teach obedience in their furry friends.

“A lot of dogs just get overlooked because they are jumpy, they are mouthy, they had no training as puppies and then their owners just threw them in a shelter where they are great dogs, but just need a little TLC,” said Alexis Ogborn, executive director of the Muskegon Humane Society.

Inmates have to apply and go through a lengthy screening process to be a part of the program. They can’t have demerits on their record for at least six years and their history of switching cells is reviewed to evaluate their interpersonal skills. They also must not have a past involving animal abuse.

To make the prison dog-friendly, Brooks Correctional Facility sectioned off a part of its yard to function as an off-leash park for the dogs to get exercise. The prison also designated part of its living quarters for those working in the program and for inmates who are OK with dogs.

Making a difference for dogs, inmates

Odin was found as a stray and sent to the Humane Society, where he was labeled a “wall-painter,” which means he decorated his room with feces. His obvious need for training made Odin a perfect candidate for the new program.

He was sent to live at Brooks in February, bunking with inmate Daniel Penza, who is considered to be one of the best handlers there, said Brooks Correctional Facility Counselor April McLaughlin. About four weeks later, inmate Alan Kemp, another strong handler, moved in with them to help Odin along his journey.

Penza and Kemp agreed that Odin was one of the smartest dogs they had the privilege of training. Odin was able to take on commands quickly. His strong food motivation made training a smoother process as the inmates focused on potty training and separation anxiety.

Adjustment to the new environment was difficult for Odin in the beginning, his handlers said. He was skittish and relieved himself anywhere and everywhere. He did not understand what a bed mat was and slept in the middle of the floor making it difficult for the prisoners to move around.

But after some time Odin warmed up, and he became a source of comfort for his handlers and other inmates.

“If you have something going wrong or are depressed, he (Odin) feels it," Penza said in an interview with MLive when Odin was still in training. "If I am just having a bad day, he jumps up in my lap and licks me and shows me affection. He can sense something is wrong and is trying to change your mindset.

“He has done that a lot. Just in the six weeks he has helped me through a lot.”

McLaughlin said the program does more than help dogs find their forever homes.

“This program is making a difference -- it does, it makes a difference,” she said. “It also helps the community in a way that it shows prisoners that reform is possible and you can change. These dogs have changed them.”

The training program helps give the prisoners an identity and a sense of purpose while they’re incarcerated, she said.

“I see myself in some of these dogs,” Kemp said. “So being around a dog and having a chance to stay away from the bad stuff in this environment, it’s a positive.”

Penza said the program has humbled him.

Race to find Odin a family

On March 13th, the COVID-19 pandemic brought Brooks’ training program to an abrupt halt.

The dogs were taken out of the prison in case a lockdown would prevent the Humane Society from getting to them. Shortly after, the Michigan Department of Corrections announced a statewide directive that prevented visitors and volunteers from coming into the prison.

The dogs that were in the program, including Odin, were quickly transferred back to the Muskegon Humane Society, which is currently closed to the public. Then the race was on to find them forever homes.

“Once we brought the dogs back to the shelter, we knew time was of the essence with the developing situation to try and get as many animals homes as soon as possible before a statewide executive order to stay home was put into place,” Ogborn said.

With the help from The Bissell Pet Foundation, which sponsored a majority of the adoption fees, the Humane Society was able to place a majority of its dogs in new homes. Odin found his on Friday, March 27.

Odin has been adjusting well to his new home in Port Huron, Pringle said. During the stay-at-home order, he and Boyte have been able to take him for walks. It’s been hard to make sure Odin gets his proper socialization, but he does run into approximately 10 dogs a day on the trail they walk on, Pringle said.

He continues to impress Pringle and Boyte with his knowledge of commands and his general behavior.

Once the COVID-19 crisis is over, the training program at Brooks will relaunch, said the facility’s Assistant Deputy Paul Davis. But first, he and Ogborn plan on attending other prison dog training programs to learn how to make theirs even more successful.

“We have learned a lot doing this program and I think going into a second time I would want to structure it differently," Ogborn said. "I definitely do see value in this program and relaunching it.”