Project POOCH (POOCH is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...

for "Positive Opportunities, Obvious Change with Hounds") is a 501(c)(3)

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that aims to provide life-changing opportunities for adjudicated youth and shelter dogs who could benefit from our small kennel and personal approach. 2023 ProjectPOOCHYouth

In 1993, the program was started by Joan Dalton at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

, United States. The program's success has garnered it international attention, with similar programs established in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, as well as Japanese television shows and

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in ter ...

about the program. The project has also been featured on ''

Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily d ...

''. Dogs from local

animal shelter An animal shelter or pound is a place where stray, lost, abandoned or surrendered animals – mostly dogs and cats – are housed. The word "pound" has its origins in the animal pounds of agricultural communities, where stray livestock would ...

s are taken in by Project POOCH and work with the youth in the program, many of whom have been convicted of serious crimes such as murder and

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, whi ...

. The dogs who come to Project POOCH are often struggling in larger and louder kennels. They may be shut down and decompensating, or simply need some help with their basic manners, or to learn how to be a dog. The program was revamped in 2023 to consist of a cohort model where Project POOCH dogs arrive as one group, are trained as a group, and then the team work to get them adopted all around the same time. This allows the youth to work with the dogs in a consistent and predictable way from cohort to cohort, and keeps all the dogs working on the same skills at the same time. For her

doctoral dissertation A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144 ...

, Sandra Merriam-Aduini studied the effects of Project POOCH had on violent, incarcerated male juveniles inmates, studying effects on

recidivism Recidivism (; from ''recidive'' and ''ism'', from Latin ''recidīvus'' "recurring", from ''re-'' "back" and ''cadō'' "I fall") is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of th ...

, reformation, and behavioral changes linked to human-animal interactions emphasizing responsibility, patience, and compassion. Between 1993 and 1999, Merriam-Aduini found zero recidivism of POOCH participants and that the program achieved educational expectations and judicial orders with success rates, including marked behavior improvements in "respect for authority, social interaction and leadership", as well as "growth in areas of honesty, empathy, nurturing, social growth, understanding, confidence level, and pride of accomplishment". Project POOCH dogs are adopted into loving homes following meet & greets and home visits.

References

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External links

Project POOCH website
Dog organizations Organizations established in 1993 Charities based in Oregon Prison charities based in the United States Animal charities based in the United States Dog welfare organizations 1993 establishments in Oregon