Gracie Pulliam

ESSAY: GRACIE PULLIAM

RETRIEVING INDEPENDENCE

Over the summer and throughout senior year, I have worked closely with Retrieving Independence. Retrieving Independence is a Nashville non-profit organization that breeds and trains service dogs to be placed with individuals who have physical, mental, or emotional disabilities. Retrieving Independence works with the Tennessee Department of Corrections, as well, to incorporate inmates into their training program. Once the dogs reach a certain age, they are sent into one of two prisons in the greater Nashville area to be trained by a select group of inmates during the week. Their goal is to help these inmates find their purpose and dignity by giving them the opportunity to contribute to society from within their specific environment. My research interests lie within the highly specialized training methods that RI uses when raising their dogs, as well as the mental health effects of volunteering on the inmates who choose to participate in Retrieving Independence’s prison program.

Initially, volunteers at Retrieving Independence are instructed to use very specific language when speaking to the dogs in the program. This is to create a results based, force-free teaching environment. The idea is that when a thinking, feeling, individual (i.e. the service dog in training) has some control over its circumstances, they feel and behave better. Therefore, dogs in Retrieving Independence’s training program are allowed to make their own behavioral choices, and are either rewarded, redirected, or ignored based upon the accuracy of their choice. Volunteers never implement negative reinforcement, and are instructed to ask behaviors of the dog, rather than tell the dog specifically what it should or should not do. Words like “no”, and “bad”, are to be avoided at all costs. An example of this would be simply standing still when a dog pulls on its leash instead of responding by tugging the dog in the desired direction. As mentioned before, the training done at Retrieving Independence is very detailed for very specific psychological reasons.

Up until about 12 years ago, the popular belief was that canines lack the ability to feel and process emotions in the way that humans do. However, in 2012, to prove that they do feel emotion, neuroscientist Gregory Berns trained a dog to go through an MRI scanner in order to map its brain in response to different stimuli. When he figured out how to properly train the dog to successfully go through the machine, he opened up his research to as many as 20 different dogs. In doing so, he noticed that positively correlated stimuli activated the same part of their brains as humans in every single dog: the caudate nucleus. The caudate nucleus is active when an individual is in a state of anticipation. When anticipating something associated with a positive outcome, the activity of the caudate nucleus increases significantly. “When we see this structure active in dogs, we can interpret that they are experiencing something important to them and something they like. This is completely analogous to what happens in human brains under the same conditions,” (National Geographic; Berns). The biggest discrepancy between humans and canines is language. When humans feel a positive emotion, they can describe it using a large array of vocabulary. Dogs are not granted that luxury. Whether or not they understand words as symbolic placeholders for emotion remains to be seen. Regardless,

Bern’s experiment proves that dogs do have the capability to feel emotion in response to the environment around them.

So dogs can feel emotions, but can they pick up on the emotions of the humans around them? According to the American Kennel Club, they can. Previous studies have been done that prove dogs can match facial expressions to emotions in humans, as well as read hand gestures (American Kennel Club). When that was discovered, the next question became: can dogs process audible emotion as well? To test this, the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy did a study with 30 dogs and a simple set up. Dogs were given a food bowl in the center of a room, and while they ate they were subject to different vocalizations of human emotion coming through speakers placed on the ceiling. For example, fear played as screaming, and happiness played as laughter. Like humans, the right side of a dog’s brain controls its left side, and vice versa. Previous research has shown that dogs process negative emotional sound with the right side of their brain, and positive emotional sound with the left. For this reason, scientist’s took specific interest in which direction the dog turned its head in response to each individual noise. The experiment showed that dogs tended to turn their heads left for vocalizations of fear, sadness, and anger, which means these were processed through the right side of the dogs’ brain, determining that these dogs could, in fact, differentiate between positive and negative emotions simply based on audio (American Kennel Club). Overall, understanding that dogs can feel emotion and understand the emotions of humans around them is crucial when it comes to successful training.

How does this relate back to Retrieving Independence? RI is doing everything in its power to produce service dogs that are concrete and apt for any specific job while fostering an environment of training that is tailored to the emotional and psychological well-being of the dog. It is important that these two components go hand in hand, in order to ensure a morally sound program that truly takes into account how these dogs are feeling throughout the entire process. As seen above, dogs have emotions, very similar to humans. At Retrieving Independence, this puts dogs and humans on the same playing field, with the same level of importance and responsibility on both canine and human shoulders. That is why their training encourages talking to the dogs, rather than talking at the dogs. It is important to understand that this program is a partnership between the two, not forced labor. Mindsets like this would be beneficial in any animal behavioral training environment to ensure a solid ethical high ground is reached.

As I mentioned before, another interesting aspect of Retrieving Independence is their partnership with the Tennessee Department of Corrections. They work specifically with The Turney Industrial Complex in Only, Tennessee, and with the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville, Tennessee. In each prison, after the dogs have reached a certain stage in training, they are each placed in a cell with two inmates on weekdays. These dogs are being trained to help those with a wide variety of disabilities. The exact environment they will be going into is unknown until they have completed their training; therefore, it is important that these dogs get as much exposure to different stimuli as possible, so that they are as prepared as they can be by the time they are released for their jobs. The commotion of a prison is a good experience, but the real benefit of the prison program is with the prisoners.

According to the National Institution of Corrections, after being released from

prison, many inmates must start their lives over entirely, meaning they must find a place to live and a way to make an income. Finding a job is a difficult task in itself, but because these individuals may now have crimes listed on their personal record, it is even harder than usual. However, a study done by Northwestern University showed that prison inmates who participate in some type of educational or emotional training program before being discharged are 43% more likely to find a job within 3 months of being released (NU). A blog by Caroline Dreyer discussed the importance of educational programs in the prison system, saying “With public safety a top priority, it is important from a community and societal perspective that those who were formerly incarcerated refrain from reoffending. This means that there needs to be resources or services in jails or prisons that can teach skills related to job, education and prosocial behavior.” She goes on to discuss that in 2016, only 35% of state run prisons offered any sort of program for inmates. At the time, there was not enough government funding to incorporate these programs into prison systems. However, since then, funding has increased, and programs, such as the one Retrieving Independence offers, have been able to flourish. Now, 64% of state run prisons offer inmates the opportunity to practice necessary, real world skills, before being released, in an effort to get them ready to reacclimate to society.

The first animal training prison program began as an accident in Ohio in 1975, when an inmate adopted an injured bird that had somehow gotten into the facility. The behavior of this inmate drastically improved, which led to the allowance of animal therapy in prison. Studies found that inmates with access to animal therapy needed 50% less medication, had fewer attempted suicides, and were 46% less violent (University of New Haven; Kevin Earl). Today, dog training programs are among the most common types of prison programs, with over 209 facilities across the US (University of New Haven; Kevin Earl). The goal of the majority of these programs is to promote rehabilitation and to combat recidivism. An article was released by ClarksvilleNOW that discusses the impacts of Retrieving Independence’s program on the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville, Tennessee. The program is overseen by Corporal Craig Hawn, who notices “these dogs change these ladies’ lives.” The beautiful thing about dogs is that they do not have the ability to hold onto stereotypes and biases. They love unconditionally. Hawn goes on to talk about how the women of TPFW have gotten to experience a new kind of love from these dogs that has entirely changed their ways of thinking. He believes “every single one of these women in this program have grown from when they started out.” With Retrieving Independence’s program, a therapist and a trainer are assigned to each prison, and they visit once a week to provide counseling services for the inmates. In addition, these inmates have direct access to classrooms, specialized instruction, and equipment needed to work with their assigned dog. There is also access to outdoor activities to give the dog (and inmate) more stimulation. All in all, Retrieving Independence’s partnership with prisons in Middle Tennessee benefit both the dog in training and the rehabilitating inmate.

In the environment of today’s society, it is important that morality and empathy come into play in any type of animal behavioral training. Retrieving Independence has taken a large leap forward in making sure an animals emotional well being is looked after while also ensuring they get the proper training needed to help those

with disabilities. Not only are they focused on morality and equality between dogs and humans, but also those in society who are often looked down upon: prisoners. The original intention of a prison was to serve as a large-scale implementation of a “timeout.” However, over time, its original intention has been lost, and it has become an institution that society often neglects. Programs like the one Retrieving Independence offers gives inmates the opportunity to see that society does still care about them and that there is still hope. Inmates are able to gain the necessary skills they will need to reacclimate to society once their sentence is over, and the inmates are receiving love as they do so. Retrieving Independence looked at research similar to the research found above, and created a model to help as many people as possible. It is now society’s job to do the same and find ways to reach a multitude of communities with acts of service and acts of love.

Work cited

Dreyer, Caralyn. “The Psychological Benefits of Adult Education in Correctional Settings.” Degreechoices.

Com, 25 Jan. 2022, www.degreechoices.com/blog/benefits-adult-education-correctional-settings. Gibeault, Stephanie MSc. “Research Shows Your Dog Can Hear When You’re Happy or Sad.” American

Kennel Club, 4 Apr. 2018, www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/dogs-can-hear-your-emotions. Northwestern University. “Northwestern Benefits of Prison Education.” Northwestern, sites. northwestern.edu/npep/benefits-of-prison-education. Accessed 9 Feb. 2022. Nwoko, Sobem. “Prison Dog Training Program Evaluations.” EBPsociety, 2 Nov. 2017, www.ebpsociety. org/blog/education/283-prison-dog-training#:%7E:text=Dog%2Dtraining%20programs%20 (DTPs),recidivism%20and%20behavior%20in%20prison. Purina. “Dog Training Articles | Purina.” Nestlé Purina Petcare Company, www.purina.com/articles/dog/ training. Accessed 10 Feb. 2022. Retrieving Independence. “Home.” Retrieving Independence, 22 Nov. 2021, riservicedogs.org. Seifuddin, Faith. “TDOC Partners with Retrieving Independence to Train Service Dogs at Women’s

Prison.” ClarksvilleNow.Com, 28 May 2020, clarksvillenow.com/local/tdoc-partners-withretrieving-independence-to-train-service-dogs-at-womwns-prison. Worrall, Simon. “Dogs Have Feelings—Here’s How We Know.” Animals, 3 May 2021, www. nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/dog-brain-feelings-mri-gregory-berns.

RETRIEVING INDEPENDENCE

In reflecting upon my work with Retrieving Independence, I have learned a lot about how important it is to consider the emotional and psychological impact of my behavior on my environment. My job with Retrieving Independence was to help raise puppies from the ages of eight weeks to four months. This included basic house breaking, such as potty training, as well as minor work with commands such as “sit”, “place”, etc.

My very first activity with Retrieving Independence was an instructive training class with two of the directors of the organization, Nikki Ivey and Britteny Watson. This training was for those who wanted to work with puppies in the beginning stages of the program, which Retrieving Independence refers to as “Tier 1.” While the ultimate goal of their program is to train a dog to be a successful service dog, we, as volunteers, were being trained in a whole new light as well. My Tier 1 training experience was my first exposure to the specialized language and behavior that is to be used by volunteers, and I will admit, I was confused. I did not understand why we had to do things in such a specific way. We were talking about training dogs, and it did not make sense to me that there was one way to train them that was better than all the others. I had seen multiple TV shows that depicted training dogs in a multitude of ways, and the outcomes were all similar.

However, my views changed rather quickly. As a minor, I was allowed to aid only those in charge of raising the puppies, which means I got less hands-on opportunities; however, though I did not have a puppy constantly in my home, I was able to tangibly see the emotional benefits of Retrieving Independence play out in the real world just from my brief interactions with one of the dogs. As I watched this specific dog grow up in the program, she seemed much more emotionally well balanced than any other dog I had seen, even at the early stages of training.

The first team I was placed on was six adults and me. We were tasked with raising Harley, an 8 week old labrador. There were team meetings, group phone calls, and discussions about progress throughout the entire process. It felt good to be included in a group of adults, in an adult setting, while being treated with the same level of respect that an adult would receive.

I was able to have Harley for around four days. In that time, we worked on basic behavioral skills, like not barking in the house and sitting at the door to be let outside instead of using the bathroom in the house. The most eye opening experience for me was taking her out in public for the first time. I was prepared to be dealing with a messy, barking puppy because she had only been in the program for about two weeks. However, we went into the Goodwill I chose to take her to, and she immediately fell into place. Not only did she stay close to me on the leash, she would sit right next to me when I would stop, and she would look at me and wait patiently for her next command. I was in total shock at how wonderfully she behaved. Overall, my time at Retrieving Independence was eye opening. I discovered a lot about the importance of respecting a dog’s mind and feelings, and I feel like I can take this new knowledge into any future experiences I may have.