Brevard County

‘I can completely change my life’: Paws and Stripes support Brevard County inmates

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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A unique program at the Brevard County Jail is changing the lives of inmates and dogs.

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The Paws and Stripes program helps abandoned dogs make a difference nationwide.

Claire Mutter, a Paws and Stripes trainer, has seen a lot of faces, stories and paws.

“I sit them down in the beginning, and tell them you’re all special to me,” Mutter said.

Behind the walls, there are almost 1,500 inmates in the only program in the nation that trains dogs and handlers for law enforcement therapy.

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“For the system to work that we built, people have to be happy working here,” Mutter said. “Because the mood you have feeds down the leash to the dog.”

During the 12-week program, abandoned dogs are handpicked from the local shelter and practice connections and obedience skills.

These dogs are trained for a circle of support. Therapy dogs work with investigators, support those at funerals and help with the interview process for adult and child victims.

Mutter said the program discovered using dogs in interviews helped move the disclosure rate from 25% to 85%.

“The dogs not only help us but help the inmates as well,” Mutter said.

They give people a piece of home that they left behind, along with a newfound purpose.

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Women who have been victims of domestic abuse learn confidence and how to handle themselves, while men with anger issues learn patience.

“I’ve heard it before,” Mutter said. “‘Oh, they’re just inmates,’ but they’re not just inmates. They’re people who made mistakes, and we know people can change.”

Kassi Krick is a mother of four children and trains dog Pickles.

“At first, he was a little rambunctious,” she said. “Now he’s calmed down (and) he’s great.”

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David said he would use what he has learned to avoid going to jail again.

“(The program) teaches us something, (it) teaches us how to work with animals (and) teaches us how to do something when we get out of here,” he said.

Mutter said the program cannot train the dogs fast enough to keep up with the need due to rising crime rates, trauma and abandoned dogs nationwide. She said 80% of the program inmates never return to jail.

“From here on out, I can do something better with my life,” Krick said. “I can completely change my life.”

The dogs will graduate and move on to change people’s lives. They have used their paws and earned their stripes by saving each other.

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