Disabled Folks and Stray Dogs Share TLC
It's a perfect match: mentally disabled people with lots of love to give, and dogs who need plenty of TLC.
A unique program in Arkansas brings together residents from the Arkadelphia Human Development Center with homeless humane society dogs. Five mentally disabled residents feed, water, clean, and walk the animals, at what was once the Center's double tennis courts -- now the official shelter of the Humane Society of Clark County.
"The humane society needed a place to house stray dogs, and it was an opportunity to provide jobs and this special kind of contact with pets for our residents," says the Center's Richard Robinson. Adds Dee Ross, director of the no-kill shelter, "We just feel like it's a win-win situation for the Center, the shelter, and the Arkadelphia community."
About 12 dogs are sheltered at the Center at any given time. "We have a cooperative agreement to operate the shelter kennel, and the humane society does the paper work, etc.," Richard said. "We're both responsible for different aspects of the shelter."
The program has been a big boost for homeless dogs, too. In nearly a year's time, the shelter has adopted out more than 110 canines from the Center. The dogs bask in the special attention they get from the Center's residents, who are supervised in their shelter work. "The residents will sit on the ground and play with the dogs, not worrying if they get dirty," Dee said. "Many act as if they have all day to sit there and play with the animals. The dogs really love it here."
Some of the dogs are so happy at the shelter, they don't want to leave. Take the case of Mrs. Mo, special canine friend of John, a 32-year old Center resident and shelter worker. After three unsuccessful adoption attempts, Mrs. Mo returned to the shelter. "She turned out to be the ideal dog for our situation," said Margo Green, superintendent of the 154-resident Center. "She's great with the residents, letting them hug her and lead her around on the leash." Mrs. Mo was eventually adopted by Margo, so this friendly dog still gets to spend a lot of time with John and the other Center residents. "They have a really good bond," Margo said of John and Mrs. Mo. "Every day when I drive up, he looks to see if she's in my car."
Caring for the dogs provides meaningful work for the residents. "We had real difficulty finding a job for John; we couldn't find anything that interested him," Margo recalled. "This has been ideal - he loves the dogs and he can also get paid for doing what he does with them." She added, "Another thing I've noticed about John is he's always there waiting at the gate before the supervisor comes. He's very eager to do his work." Gary, a 33-year-old Center resident, also loves his work with the dogs so much that he has volunteered to work Saturdays, as well as his regular Monday, Wednesday, and Friday shift.
The good nature of the shelter dogs goes a long way toward making this program work, and there's a special bond between many of the mentally disabled residents and the shelter canines. "Some of our people. based on their disabilities, don't interact well with other people," Richard explained. "But they will respond to the dogs by petting them and talking to them, when they wouldn't do that with people."
