At Monroe prison, dog training reshapes lives of humans, canines alike

MONROE — When you’re training dogs, you have to focus outward on another being, explained one prisoner at the Monroe Correctional Complex.

After a while, you no longer feel like you’re making a conscious effort to stay positive, James said. It just happens.

“You can’t afford to just be a miserable guy in a cell doing time,” he said.

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One morning in February, a handful of dogs joined over a dozen prisoners, dressed in uniform beige pants and gray sweatshirts, for their weekly training class. In a visiting room full of tables and blue padded chairs, the incarcerated students listened intently to their instructors. The dogs, in green vests, were mostly attentive too — and sometimes made themselves known with a bark.

Since 2010, incarcerated men in Monroe have helped train the service animals, guided by dog trainers from Sue Meinzinger’s nonprofit, Summit Assistance Dogs. The dogs live with their incarcerated handlers at the prison for this part of their training.

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