This Former Jail Is Now A Shelter For Abused Animals And A Healing Place For Prisoners
This Former Jail Is Now A Shelter For Abused Animals And A Healing Place For Prisoners
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safety Unit, or MASH for short, has been rescuing abused animals since 2000, but now it's also serving as a place of healing for inmates from local prisons who come to help the animals. Find out more here!
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safety Unit, or MASH for short, has been rescuing abused animals since 2000, but now it's also serving as a place of healing for inmates from local prisons who come to help the animals. Find out more here!
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Animal Safety Unit (MASH) was once a prison, but in 2000, it was converted into a shelter for abused animals. Now, it rescues animals from their abusers and introduces them to new human playmates who help them rebuild trust from the least likely of places, other prisons. MASH runs a program that brings in inmates from prisons to learn to help care for the animals and restore their trust in humans. But its not just helpful for the fluffy inhabitants of MASH.
I get so much out of it, probably more than the dogs do. It’s very therapeutic for me as well, not just them, which was an unexpected, pleasant surprise.
Kristina Hazelett, Program Participant
Metro, May 12, 2017
Participants in the program are rigorously screened before they're allowed to interact with the animals, but once they get there, it's more than worth it. One participant, Aubrey Herrera, spoke about her time in the program, saying:
These dogs are locked up just like we are and they need love just like we do. It’s not about us when we come here. It’s about the dogs.
Aubrey Herrera
Metro, May 12, 2017
The inmates in the program also benefit from it by working with animal care technicians to learn all the ins and outs of animal care, preparing them for a possible career in that field after their release from prison.
What do you think of this amazing program? Talk to us about it in the comments below, and share with your friends to see what they think!