Welcome to Missouri Hills!!

I'm back.
We are now beginning to settle in at our new facility in Fort Bellefontaine county park aka Missouri Hills. Photo is the picture I see on day two. I have to stop for a minute to remember where I am. This makes me smile, and I'm compelled to run out and get my camera. Then I ask this brilliant question to the kid next to him. "What's he doing?" (Like maybe the kid working can't hear or speak). "He's crocheting a blanket".
Of course he is. What's the big deal?
Even though I am not new to this, I just didn't expect to see blanket crocheting in a medium security facility for juvenile offenders. What-no gun? No threatening stares? No big bad attitude. Nope. Not today.
We have just started the Loosen the Leash program at this new facility. Let me give you the brief run down of what happens in the first few days.
Before we bring dogs to the facility:

1. Interview all kids who are candidates. They have to meet our requirements for our funding. Kid must have staff approval to participate. Kid writes an essay saying why he wants to be in program..

• Not one kid I interview has a Dad who is present in his life. Not one.

• All of the kids except one act like they really want to please me. The majority seem nervous to talk to me.
• The reasons for committment to DYS vary. Most have stolen something and/or broken into houses. Some sold drugs (marijuana or ADD meds). 2 are sex offenders. None have crimes against another person.
  

2. Day One-Christy (trainer) and I do aggression assessments on dogs for HOURS at the APA. The hardest part is finding dogs that get along well with one another and there has to be 4 compatible dogs. We choose the 4 we want, give them baths, and they get delivered with food to Missouri Hills. APA transports the dogs and supplies the food. They all supply all the medical care. Big shout out to the APA for that! As of Monday, 4 dogs are eating, sleeping, going to school, getting walked, getting trained by 8 juvenile offenders (and I like all of them).

• Dogs and kids get paired up. 2 kids to one dog. This part is awesome. The kids are soooo happy with the exception of one boy who thinks he wants a different dog. We play clicker games and learn the self control exercise. I show the kids how to breathe (yeah really) and we reward calmness. Aaahh.
• We TAGteach the kids (ask me about that sometime....do it). Kid does the correct leash handling, THEY GET TAGGED ( they receive a sound that means "that move was just right". For me TAGteachin is the best thing that has ever happened to me as a teacher.
• All the teaching specialist come to class and observe. They are all superstars. This group of educators are unique in their extraordinary way of "keeping it fun and keeping it real". They have the difficult job of assessing, reporting, teaching difficult kids, very undereducated kids and then have to also do mounds of paperwork that takes tons of time away from teaching. (sorry for editorializing- had to do that).
• One kid quits. DAY TWO. He will not come to class. Already? What did I do??? I feel like David Spade in Tommy Boy when the car door falls off the car and he has no idea why that happened. I am sad. What happened?
• What happened was the boy's mother told him she was not going to visit him anymore. She's way fed up with his antics that got him locked up (3 times). He shuts down. I talked to him for quite awhile and he is depressed. I am wondering if I can do anything to anticipate this kind of situation and diffuse it enough to keep kids in program.
• I miss the photo op of two boys sleeping with the dog in the middle under the bunk bed! They think she is tired but also think she is happier out of her crate, so they protect her and are completely comforted by her presence.

Welcome to Cottage One at Missouri Hills. I love my job.
Day 2