New rescue dog program at Folsom State Prison a story of fresh starts, redemption

Editor's note: Folsom Telegraph Reporter Midori Sperandeo was recently invited to go inside Folsom State Prison and observe this first-ever "Paws on the Block" dog program in action, and meet some of the inmates who are rehabilitating rescue dogs. For the first time since it opened in 1880, Folsom State Prison has a few rescue dogs living behind its granite rock walls, and their inmate-trainers couldn't be happier about it. The now-closed women's section of the prison had a prison puppy raising program at one time, but this is the first time the men's side has housed rescue dogs. Recently, Folsom State Prison partnered with Foothill Dog Rescue, based in Shingle Springs, for a new program called "Paws on the Block," a foster program that pairs rescue dogs with skilled inmates to socialize, train and give love to the dogs so they can be adopted into forever homes. The story behind this program is rich with layers of emotion. It's a story about fresh starts, overcoming pain and redemption, for the dogs and the men who are pouring their hearts into training them. Similar programs have already been hugely successful in other state prisons, such as California State Prison, Los Angeles County (Lancaster) and San Quentin. The maiden voyage of the Folsom program was kept small and manageable to set it up for success. Three rescue dogs from the El Dorado County Animal Shelter were the very first to be picked for this program: Atlas, Chula and Jack, mixed-breed, playful, rambunctious large dogs who had a rough start in life. The dogs were stray and/or abused, making them more difficult to adopt out because of behavior issues. Due to the ongoing shelter crisis, large-breed dogs are also much harder to find fosters or permanent homes for. The two lead dog trainers at Folsom State Prison, Moises Huerta and Juan Montoya, spent four years while at Lancaster Prison getting certified to train rescue dogs to be service dogs for military veterans with PTSD through the "Paws for Life" program. Danielle Wehrle is the program coordinator for Foothill Dog Rescue; she said the dogs are clearly in great hands. "They are definitely qualified. We are just coming in to refine some of their teaching methods or provide support where they need it," explained Wehrle. "Honestly, this is their baby. We're here to give them the supplies, the dogs, any additional training they may need or ask for, but this is their baby." Montoya has been incarcerated for 24 years, serving a life sentence for a gang-related murder; he's been in Folsom for three years. Montoya hadn't seen a dog for more than 10 years, until he began working with dogs in prison. Petting a dog for the first time after all those years transported him back to simpler times. "It brought me back to my childhood; my childhood when everything was fun and games and there were no worries," said Montoya. Huerta, who is serving a life sentence for three gang-related attempted murders, had a similar reaction when he pet a dog for the first time after being incarcerated for 20 years. "The first thing that came to mind was … I was a kid. I was 6 years old when I first petted a dog and we had a dog as a pet. And when I see a dog it reminds me of my 6-year-old self. It took me back to my childhood. It took me back to a place where there was a lot of innocence," said Huerta. Huerta and Montoya revealed they were abused as children, not to use as an excuse for their crimes but to explain why they feel an intense connection and kinship with the dogs. Atlas, for instance, was a victim of abuse by his previous owner. "I think that's why I felt in that moment, when I first saw a dog in prison, I felt relatable to the dogs because a lot of the dogs that come through the shelter, to the rescues, have been abused, neglected or abandoned. And that's my background," said Huerta. "I try to be that person that I needed when I was 6 years old to every dog I come across. Somebody that's caring, somebody that's loving. Empathetic." The dogs have an enclosed area in the prison yard where they can burn off energy and go through training exercises with their handlers each day. At night, the dogs have kennels outside their handler's cells. A group from Foothill Dog Rescue checks on the dogs weekly to see their progress. The program lasts about eight weeks, at which time the dogs should be ready for adoption. So far, all involved are thrilled with how it's going; for the dogs … and the men. "It saves dogs' lives, it saves their lives," said Wehrle. "They now have a purpose. Not that they don't because they have their schooling, they have other programs here, but there's just something about this program that is special. There's this bond." Folsom State Prison Acting Warden Joseph Tuggle has a foster dog himself at home and said the reception to the dog program overall has been positive. Tuggle said Huerta and Montoya lobbied hard for the dog program until it became a reality. "They could not let me walk by, anytime I walked into that yard without talking to me about, when are we going to get the dogs?" said Tuggle. "This is something that they've been wanting since before I became the acting warden … they were always asking, what can we do, what can we do to get the dogs?" The significant role that rehabilitating these dogs has on their own rehabilitation is not lost on Huerta and Montoya. "It gave me a meaning behind everything that I did," said Montoya. "So being able to give back with these dogs and train them was fulfilling, but it was like, what's going on, are we training them or are they training us?" Huerta becomes emotional when talking about the unconditional love he receives from the dogs. "And one thing I know about dogs, they don't judge. Doesn't matter the color of my skin, how tall, short or what I did in the past. And it's a reminder that despite my past … I still matter," added Huerta, who began tearing up. The prison trainers love all the dogs, but Montoya admits he has an especially tight bond with Chula; he will miss her when she's gone. "I can sit here and act like I'm crying and she'll run over and kiss me," smiles Montoya. For these men who may never know life outside prison walls again, giving troubled dogs who were beaten as innocent puppies, or neglected … another shot at a good life means everything. "You realize when you're going through all this, you realize what you've done and you regret it. I regret it every minute of the day. And to me, I don't deserve to go home. But I would do anything to keep going and give these dogs a second chance," said Montoya. Huerta knows he can't erase the mistakes of his life, but these dogs he gives so much love to are being given another life path, ..one where they are happy and valued. And that for Huerta brings some redemption. "Every time I work with a dog and I give it my care and my love, they go to a home and I like to think they take a piece of me with them," said Huerta, tearing up again. "And in a way for me, that's a sense of freedom." Atlas, Chula and Jack recently successfully completed the prison program. All are now up for adoption and on the Foothill Dog Rescue website. The dogs' stay at Folsom State Prison was temporary, but the love they leave behind with the men who helped them find a fresh start will forever live on behind the prison walls. For information about Atlas, Chula and Jack or any other adoptable dog with Foothill Dog Rescue, visit https://foothilldogrescue.org/available-dogs/