The Southwest Louisiana Humane Society and Juvenile Detention Center has an ongoing program that pairs at risk youth with some of our shelter dogs which helps both the children and the dogs. The program is called, New Leash on LIfe.

The youth are taught compassion, responsibility, and friendship by taking care of the animals. The animals, in turn, are taught basic obedience commands and are given one on one human interaction.

We need volunteers willing to step up and help out 1-2 hours a week to help train the children to train the dogs and be a support system for them.

The sessions are typically 6:30-7:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If we could get 2-3 people to commit to one day or the other every week it would greatly help out.

Let me know if you are interested in this program.

Misty Richard
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lake Charles, LA: After a nationwide search, Steven Gainey, a soldier returning from 13 months of active-duty service in Afghanistan and his fiancé, Krista, have chosen two dogs that are in the New Leash on Life project at the Calcasieu Parish Juvenile Detention Center (JDC) to complete their new family. Theresa Schmidt with KPLC reported on the adoption in a news story aired on October 10th.

New Leash on Life is a rehabilitation and training program based at the JDC. New Leash on Life is a cooperative project run jointly by two Calcasieu Parish Police Jury agencies – the Office of Juvenile Justice Services and Calcasieu Parish Animal Services, and the Humane Society of Louisiana, SWLA Chapter. Dogs rescued by Animal Services come to live with the kids residing at the JDC. The kids then volunteer to learn how to rehabilitate and train the dogs in basic obedience, getting the dogs ready to be adopted by a new family.

“We searched, and searched nationwide websites for months looking for just the right pair of dogs to adopt. When we saw Chris and Crystal, we fell instantly in love. The fact that they were in the New Leash on Life project made them an even more perfect fit for our new family.” Said Krista, excitedly.

The kids at the JDC care for the dogs in New Leash on Life on a daily basis: cleaning their kennels, feeding them, taking care of their basic and medical needs, and teaching the dogs that interaction with humans can be good. The kids are learning marketable skills that will help them with their future career goals, and they are offering a great service to the Calcasieu Parish community.

“The presence of the dogs helps calm the kids. When they are working their dogs, they are learning real skills that can benefit them in every aspect of their lives. The training program employs only positive reinforcement, no punishment, which helps the kids learn how to problem solve in a positive and productive way.” explained Dane Bolin, Director of the Calcasieu Parish Office of Juvenile Justice Services.

Once the dogs pass a basic obedience test, which their juvenile trainer takes them through, they are then put up for adoption. More than three dozen dogs are living happily in new families as a result of the hard work of the kids participating in the New Leash on Life.

“There is no more fundamental rehabilitation program or effort that can be made than to reach out a hand to offer love and affection, versus pain and punishment. The kids are doing more for these dogs than any other basic obedience class ever could.” Said Beth Zilbert, President of the Humane Society of Louisiana, SWLA Chapter. Chris and Crystal, the brother and sister pups that are being adopted by the Gainey family, will be living in Fort Polk, running every day, and staking their claim to their own spot on the family couch. Not a bad new beginning for all involved.

Read KPLC News Reporter Lee Peck news story and interview with Beth Zilbert, Sally Stride, and three kids working with the dogs at the Juvenile Detention Center.