CONNIE'S STORY

"My life changed forever that day – sentenced to 41 years in prison. I couldn’t take it back, I couldn’t change it, and I wasn’t even sure how it had all happened. I was confused and very afraid.

After the fear and disbelief – I came to a place of acceptance. A place of survival. I put up high, impenetrable walls to keep me safe. My plan was to keep my head down, work and just get through it. I was in prison, and I had lost all hope, but someday I would try to right my wrongs. I would find a way.

I had no idea at the time that I would be offered a chance to do just that from within the prison walls. 

I took advantage of the programs that were offered. I worked at “the plant” – a sewing program called Inside Out. I enjoyed it. It kept my mind busy. I was good at it, and it passed the time.

I had a friend who worked in the dog program – Prison Pet Partnership – and their dog in training lived in my unit. I love dogs so asked about the program and even went to training classes. Eventually, I started co-training and then was finally assigned my own dog to train – Atlantis.

Dogs are not judgmental. They love unconditionally and taught me to love, too.

PPP had been working with a young man, Dan – 19 years old with sudden onset MS. He had been in college but had to move back in with his mom because of his disability. He was getting used to life in a wheelchair and wanted a service dog so that he could gain enough independence to move out of his mom’s place and return to school. I was chosen to train his dog.

I worked with Dan to learn his specific needs and I trained Atlantis to support him. And that is when my life changed forever. Again.

One day I was working with Dan – showing him the command “stop”. We worked together for over an hour and at the end, Dan said, “This is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. But, Connie, I can’t get up and correct her like you do”.

I was stunned. And then I was embarrassed because in all those months training Atlantis, not once did I think about or realize the fact that Dan wouldn’t be able to handle her in the same way – that is when I realized that Dan was the one in a real prison, not me, and his freedom would be in the dog I trained.

"My life changed forever that day."

That moment, that defining moment made me see life from a different perspective for the first time in my life. Because of immaturity and even my history, I had never realized that my actions, my choices, the things I do in life, could impact those around me and my community in a positive way… I could change this man’s life. I could make his life better. I could do something of value.

My life changed forever that day. 

Over the years, I trained a total of 25 dogs – service, therapy, and rescue dogs.

One of my dogs, Rowdy, even ended up working for the police department – a drug sniffing K9 with Davenport Police Department. He worked until he passed.

PPP taught me growth, too. I learned a lot about myself – how my actions impact everyone around me. I learned life lessons by training the dogs – how to listen and communicate with not only dogs but with people. Communication is key in life – the core basics of how to train a dog. I even learned public speaking skills by teaching other incarcerated individuals, volunteers, and service teams.

PPP offers an opportunity to truly grow as a person. We were a part of something bigger. Bigger than ourselves.



I couldn’t go back and change what I had done, but PPP gave me a chance to change my ending. 

"PPP gave me a chance to change my ending."

I was transferred to the South Carolina women’s prison to complete my sentence so I could be near my mom and stepdad – he had become very ill. It was a complete shock when I arrived. They didn’t any have programming like they do at Washington Corrections Center for Women – not even close.

After being there for about a year, I asked the Superintendent - for the 100^th time - if she would consider starting a dog program. She finally relented and told me that if I could find out how to run such a program, she would approve it – she would even go herself to talk with the folks who ran the local humane society about a partnership if I would just stop asking and get out of her office.

So, I contacted PPP and was sent information about dog programs in prisons. I submitted a dog training theory and basic commands training. It was a start-up program and I created it. We fostered dogs for the animal shelter. We trained one dog every 4-6 weeks – 19 basic commands, plus house training and crate training. It was called PAWs – Paws-itive Prison Program.

When I got out, I began volunteering at the local humane society as a part of my reentry program.  

I volunteered for two months and then began working for them as a kennel worker. I was still supporting the prison program, but without any kind of direct leadership or anyone to drive the program, it eventually failed, sadly.

I threw myself into caring for the shelter dogs and took on different roles throughout the years – even filled in as interim executive director. I worked hard to make great changes in the shelter – we were awarded shelter of the year that year. In 2022, the board of directors appointed me as executive director of the Humane Society of Greenwood.

I hit the ground running - created policies and procedures for animal and customer care. Began training classes for shelter dogs.

I am currently spearheading a low cost spay and neuter clinic and have made changes to county ordinances to implement a higher standard of living for pets here in the south. I also began a TNR (trap-neuter-return) program.

PPP taught me the small things and taught me big things - my shelter now provides daily enrichment. Because of PPP I know the difference between in-run and out-run enrichment and have implemented it in my program. 

My organization has a program partnering with the school district to work with children on the autism spectrum. We have a library – children read to dogs to meet educational reading requirements. We also have a program that works with people in vocational rehabilitation.

My organization expanded to include Animal Control services for my county.

And, I once again began a prison pet program at the women’s prison.

I created a music therapy program that I am now teaching to humane societies and shelters across the country. 

After all those years at PPP, I did see myself working with dogs on the outside, but I never imagined being in an executive director role. 

PPP has helped me in every level of life – how I listen and communicate, how my actions and words impact others, how to care for dogs – how to take all those wonderful skills and apply them to my job as a leader. PPP helped me to grow and to set goals and to achieve them. 

I went into prison at the age of 21 and came out at 54 and PPP helped to change the ending to my story. Today, there are dogs and cats and a better life, and I have the opportunity and power to continue to make others’ lives better, too. 

People, so many people need the services offered by Prison Pet Partnership and you can help to ensure that their vital programming continues. Your donation can change someone’s life forever. Just like how it changed Atlantis’, how it changed Dan’s, and how it changed mine."

There are two ways to give. Visit our website or visit Kitsap Great Give.

You can also send a check to:

Prison Pet Partnership

P.O. Box 1998

Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Thank you for supporting the first and oldest Prison Pet Program in the world.