“K.Y.L.A.†stands for K9 Youth Learning Advocacy. Its purpose is three-fold: juveniles on probation or in what's considered to be "at-risk" status have an opportunity to train dogs recovered from shelters. The youth bond with the dogs and develop vocational skills attached to responsibilities of dog training. Likewise, the dogs are able to “work†and be engaged with a human companion. Importantly, these dogs are spared the threat of being euthanized. At the end of the program, we envision the dogs would be adopted-out to various community health facilities in need of solidly trained therapy dogs or more likely adopted as well trained, well adjust family pets.
The long term goals of the program are to reduce recidivism rates among youth offenders and to reduce the number of dogs who perish in shelters. The method is to provide both the youth and dogs with a means to flourish. The dogs serve as a catalyst for the youth to better connect through dog training and responsibility education. Often times, these kids are numb. They don’t trust adults. People have let them down. The trust that builds up within the dog-youth relationship can make all the difference in the world for young adults in building self-worth and confidence. The role dogs would play in this endeavor is to help them to “plug back in.â€
Likewise the dogs are given a new home and a stimulating environment. The dogs we plan to utilize in the project would come from shelters. We plan to team up with shelters in King County, Washington that have screened their dogs for aggression, shyness, and physical soundness. The key to this program and other successful existing models is that dogs don’t judge their teenage trainer. The dogs just want to be loved and will likely give 110% to any person who shows them compassion in return.
Just as more emphasis lately has been placed on developing re-entry programs for adult offenders, K.Y.L.A. Project holds to a similar principle, but it focuses upon juveniles and empathy training. The hope is to mitigate these youth from committing crimes as adults by refocusing them. We are starting at the beginning, so to speak. These kids who go through the program may still have a chance to turn around before they harden. The youth are pre-selected based upon desire to change, type of crime committed, and interest in the program.
Further, the program has a restorative justice component as well. The youth are held to a strict contract. They must finish the program and abide by all guidelines. The selected youth see through the goal to the end and experience the joy of accomplishment. This project provides an integrated approach whereby the participants learn about commitment, responsibility and empathy, as well as proper grooming, basic training techniques, and fundamentals of canine behavior.
The youth would not only train the dogs, but also serve as the dog handler while at the sponsor-facility. Individuals with cancer, the elderly, or other disabilities can reap the benefits of their hard earned effort. Critically, what this program does is it provides youth with positive reinforcement from the greater community. Individuals in health facilities are excited to see the dogs, which reflect in their happy faces. Youth will the opportunity to see themselves reflected in other people’s eyes differently. Societal forces often have negatively reinforced in these kids who they are and what they will amount to. This program seeks to change those negative impressions.