Puppies on the Block to be a New Tool in The Fight to Find Loving Homes for Abandoned Animals

Will Serve as a Puppy Fostering and Initial Canine Training Program with Incarcerated Women and Men in Youth Opportunities Program.

Puppies on the Block, an extension of the well-established and award-winning Parenting, Prison & Pups Program, is serving as a puppy fostering and initial canine training program with incarcerated women and soon with incarcerated men, ages 18 to 25, in the Youth Opportunities Program (YOP).

Puppies are provided by a leading Hudson Valley rescue group, Heaven Can Wait, to be fostered in the jail. Heaven Can Wait Animal Rescue of NY focuses on saving dogs from kill shelters and providing them with all the love and medical attention they require until they find their forever homes. Handlers can share important information with the puppies’ adoptive family about their personality, likes and dislikes, and adoptive families can record videos that are shared with the handlers for them to learn about the puppies' forever homes.

During their time at the Westchester Jail, puppies will be cared for by incarcerated women housed specifically in the drug treatment program, managed by Saint John's Riverside Hospital, known as Solutions, and young men housed in YOP. Heaven Can Wait provides training for all participants on how to care for the puppies. Patricia Byman, president of Heaven Can Wait, along with Pace University’s Dyson College of Arts and Sciences Professor Kimberly Collica-Cox, PhD, and her students, help to oversee the administration of the program.

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“Animal-assisted interventions are becoming more commonplace in correctional institutions across the nation, with dog training programs being the most popular form of such programs within correctional settings,” said Professor Collica-Cox. “AAIs can provide numerous psychological and physiological benefits for participants, especially for incarcerated participants, many who have long histories of trauma, substance use, and mental health issues.”

“The program provides our residents with the opportunity to learn important nurturing and empathy skills while contributing and giving back to the community as the residents care and train the puppies,” said Nory Padilla, first deputy commissioner of the Westchester County Department of Corrections. “The positive relationship between the puppies and the residents bolsters their self-esteem, and further helps them develop patience, empathy and understanding, which are critical factors that contribute to rehabilitation and reduced recidivism.”

Twenty-nine women have cycled through the program, assisting 13 litters, since its inception last summer. Five women are currently working in the program. The program was expanded to YOP last week, with 5 male handlers.

“This program is one of many innovative tools we use for the residents at our County jail,” said County Executive George Latimer. “Working with Pace University, the exemplary leadership of the Department of Correction continues to find ways to improve on the services they provide which make the Westchester County Jail a model for jails nationwide.”

Professor Collica-Cox and her students are in the process of conducting a research study to measure program outcomes. Based on preliminary data, the puppies already provide a therapeutic benefit. Many handlers say the program has been educational, calming, and therapeutic.

Puppies on the Block is an invaluable service to the community by fostering dogs who might otherwise succumb to illness on the streets or be put down by kill shelters, notes Professor Collica-Cox. The dogs come from all over the United States, with many originating from Puerto Rico. Puppies on the Block will be a new tool in the fight to find loving homes for abandoned animals.

“Heaven Can Wait is thrilled about the program building confidence in our pups,” said Heaven Can Wait President Patricia Byman, “and allowing for a fresh start for both pups and people. It’s a win-win.”

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.