Susanne Steltenpohl, owner of K9 Campers, and therapy dogs “George”, “JeSuis”, and “Ahyoka” were invited to the jail recently to interact with inmates during an inmate recreation hour.

The program is designed to relieve stress among inmates and also proved to be beneficial to jail personnel. The dogs are extremely intelligent and are trained to obey in both English and French commands.

In addition to the therapeutic aspect, Ms. Steltenpohl uses a portion of the program to educate on being a responsible pet owner, and the importance of having animals spayed or neutered.

Jail officials stated the program was a success and invited Ms. Steltenpohl and her dogs to return to the jail on a regular basis. The program falls in line with plans to construct a dog shelter near the jail that would be maintained in part by using “inmate labor”. Non-violent offenders would be assigned to “trustee” status and would be supervised by jail staff and the Sheriff’s department’s dog control officer.