How a new program is helping Shelby County inmates and adoptable dogs

Brooke Muckerman, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·3 min read
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Melissa Mackey, an inmate in the Shelby County Correctional system, didn't feel comfortable around dogs. Makey said she wasn't scared of dogs, but she had never been around them for a long time before she met Alfalfa.

Alfalfa is an 11-month-old dog whom Makey and her training partner Ashley Holland worked with through the PAWSitive Dog Training Program at the Shelby County Women's Correctional Facility. The training duo said the pup loves to play with balls but will still cuddle up for a good nap afterward. He is high energy, motivated and was "super easy" to train.

The Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County, Allegiance Canine and Shelby County Government have partnered up to put on a new program inside the women's correctional facility, the PAWSitive Dog Training Program. Women who are soon to be released from the facility and dogs from the Memphis Humane Society are paired up, and inmates are able to train and work with the adoptable pups.

The program started at the end of February, and six inmates in the women’s dorm at the Division of Corrections have been participating in the program. The women are paired up in twos, and work with one of the three dogs by training them daily and taking care of their everyday needs.

Destiny Worley, an inmate within the Shelby County Division of Corrections, smiles as she holds the leash for Crab Rangoon, “Crabbie” for short, a dog she trained within the prison, during a group training session at the prison in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. Worley was part of the PAWsitive Dog Training Program, which allowed six female inmates that are soon to be released to train dogs that are looking for homes with skills that will make them more adoptable.

Holland, who has always loved animals and said she used to pick up strays off the street and give them homes, said she was excited that she and her partner got to work with a "big dog," not a small one. Holland said she hopes to work as a dog trainer after she is released.

Makey said because of this training she is planning on getting a dog for her family when she gets out in three months. She also plans to either volunteer or professionally train dogs as well. Mackey and Holland said that working with Alfalfa has helped them learn invaluable skills that can transfer over to life once they are released.

How the PAWSitive Dog Training Program works

The program taps soon-to-be-released inmates and adoptable dogs. The trainers have to go through interviews before they are able to participate in the program, making sure they have the right skill set needed. Dominique McKinnie, who currently works in the Mayor’s Office of Innovation and previously served as the deputy administrator of the Shelby County Office of Re-entry, created the program.

"I’m so proud of the program we’ve been able to put together in partnership with the Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County and Allegiance Canine," McKinnie said in a press release about the program. "Through the initial weeks of the program, we’ve seen participants work through challenging situations, practice patience, set boundaries, and learn job skills, all while forming a special bond to the animals in their care."

Destiny Worley, an inmate within the Shelby County Division of Corrections, holds the leash for Crab Rangoon, “Crabbie” for short, a dog she trained within the prison, as her training partner and fellow inmate Harley Berry, hands him a treat during a group training session at the prison in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. The two women were part of the PAWsitive Dog Training Program, which allowed six female inmates that are soon to be released to train dogs that are looking for homes with skills that will make them more adoptable.

The program runs six weeks and as of the first week of April was on week five. The first week is all about introductions, said Ellen Zahariadis, executive director of the Memphis Humane Society. The women are introduced to the dogs during the day, but at night they return home to the shelter. Once week two rolls around, the dogs stay full-time in the women's dorm.

Anthony Alexander, director of the Shelby County Division of Corrections, said he hopes to expand the program soon, adding more dogs and trainers from both the women's and men's correctional facilities.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at (901) 484-6225 or brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: New Shelby Co. corrections program helps inmates train adoptable dogs