At-risk kids learn, teach through dog-training program

The bond between kids and dogs has been given new meaning through EPIC Pals, a program in which troubled youths train shelter dogs for adoption.

The program combines the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum with structured dog training. It's meant to promote empathy and give young people skills needed to communicate and manage emotions, plus help them re-enter the community.

Project director Mercedes Fort said the program is being offered to at-risk youths who have been in a Division of Youth Services facility or on juvenile probation so, technically, they're at risk of getting in trouble again.

One class was offered earlier this summer, and the latest group will graduate Aug. 14.

"Right now, there are four young people and four dogs in the program," said project coordinator Shelly Wood. "We ... hope to provide the program to all different kinds of young people."

Nikki Wolfe, a volunteer with the EPIC Pals program, walks Max, a 10-month-old dog, around the Community Caring Council offices Thursday in Cape Girardeau. Max has been in the program for four weeks. (GLENN LANDBERG)

She noted the mission of EPIC, whose motto is "preventing substance abuse before it starts," is to reduce youth substance abuse. It stands for Early Prevention Impacts Community.

During the first part of the class, a group facilitator implements the Mutt-i-grees Curriculum with the kids. Mutt-i-grees focuses on achieving awareness; finding feelings, encouraging empathy, cultivating cooperation, and dealing with decisions. It's also helped kids increase problem-solving skills and has been linked to bullying prevention.

"In order to increase qualities within these different areas in the kids," Wood said, "the curriculum builds on the human-animal bond ..., so it's all about animals and developing messages based on things that have to do with animals to help increase these qualities in the kids, or help kids identify these things."

After about half an hour of instruction, the dogs come in for training, cuddling and ear-scratching time.

"There are often things that come up during that training time, too, to tie it back to the that Mutt-i-grees lesson of the day or lesson of the previous week," Wood said.

Nikki Wolfe, a volunteer with the EPIC Pals program, walks Max, a 10-month-old dog, around the Community Caring Council offices Thursday in Cape Girardeau. Max has been in the program for four weeks. (GLENN LANDBERG)

Fort said people have asked her if kids are sad about giving up the dogs up at the end of the program, but that's part of the lesson.

"Part of the message that we want to give [the kids] is that this is bigger than they are. They're giving back to the community," Fort said. "This is not really about them; this is about the dogs and the families that will adopt the dogs, so they are learning something bigger than what they get out of it."

While the dogs are in the program, they are placed in foster homes that meet shelter requirements. Every dog has found its "forever home" through EPIC Pals, Wood said, and even if they are adopted while in the program, the dogs complete it.

A playful mutt named Max, who was making short work of a plastic water dish in the office EPIC uses, has not yet been adopted, but is on the verge. EPIC staff, volunteers or foster dog families bring the canines to and from the program.

The Missouri Foundation for Health funded the program at $160,000 over four years. In submitting its idea, Fort said the organization thought this would give it a chance to work with individual youths, so it submitted a concept paper, then a proposal and it was one of 19 chosen out of 266 applicants.

Nikki Wolfe, a volunteer with the EPIC Pals program, walks Max, a 10-month-old dog, around the Community Caring Council offices Thursday in Cape Girardeau. Max has been in the program for four weeks. (GLENN LANDBERG)

" ... We also believe in the power of dogs to do all kinds of wonderful things for humans and we're familiar with the Puppies for Parole program," Fort said. "We took a tour down there and observed the program. ... It was very powerful. We actually talked with the inmates, which we didn't anticipate; they wanted to hear from us about why we were there."

Under the Missouri Department of Corrections' Puppies for Parole program, selected offenders have a chance to train rescue dogs. Offenders work with the dogs by teaching them basic obedience skills and properly socializing the animals, making them more adoptable, the Department of Corrections website says. Once the dogs have successfully completed the program, they will be adopted through their original shelter.

"We told them we're thinking about doing this with kids. They had all kinds of ideas for us for how we might do it, and it was a wonderfully positive thing," Fort said.

Around the end of August, Wood said EPIC hopes to bring in a Mutt-i-grees trainer from Maryland to offer instruction on implementing the curriculum in schools. EPIC intends to invite staff from local schools to that training.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

937 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.