Pound puppies help troubled youth get back on track

Fluff, a Brindle pup, plays with his littermates in the shade of a moss-covered tree. Weeks ago he was on puppy death row, even though he'd committed no crime. Through collaboration between the Brevard Regional Juvenile Detention Center and nonprofit rescue, The Pixel Fund, dogs like Fluff find forever homes and give back to our community in a way that few can.

Fluff looks like a typical puppy in an ordinary pen. Appearances deceive. He is an extraordinary dog frolicking on the grounds of a juvenile detention center. Fluff comforts detained youth who have restricted access to family and friends outside of the walls of the center, tucked away on Dewitt Avenue in Sharpes.

Teens Assisting Puppies (TAPs) is an innovative program that pairs puppies and youth in a rehabilitative effort. High medical and training costs often make abandoned and abused dogs ineligible for adoption and decrease their survival chances, which already are lower than normal shelter dogs.

Born strays or cast off while incredibly young, some show signs of aggression, a common byproduct of abuse and life on the streets. Many have been exposed to the elements and most are malnourished. Any combination of these factors can lead to euthanization in overcrowded kill shelters.

"They wait for their dates with death," Janet Williams, founder of The Pixel Fund, said.

TAPs puppies have survived some of the cruelest acts imaginable. One litter was thrown out of a moving car while trapped in a pillowcase. Pups have been found in basements or wandering the streets. One unfortunate group, known as the Goodwill 12, was tossed in a trash dumpster behind a Goodwill store and left for dead. Another litter was found in the middle of a busy freeway.

The TAPs program is the result of one woman's innovative idea. Major Dyanne Alves, superintendent of the Brevard County Regional Juvenile Detention Center, wanted to improve the lives of the youth she has cared for over a 30-year career in corrections.

After a few stumbling blocks, Alves and Williams collaborated and TAPs was launched. Support from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice has enabled TAPs to care for 57 puppies since its launch in January of 2014. Depending on their age at rescue, puppies complete the program in 4-5 weeks. TAPs is run at no cost to the state and has been replicated in Alachua County.

Care and feeding for litters is an involved task that requires round-the-clock attentiveness. The youth play a large part, but the program's success rests on the volunteer efforts of the center's staff who dedicate time to cleaning up messes and feeding hungry bellies. Uniform-clad officers end up covered in fur and water during bath time. When a 10 day-old bottle fed litter arrived, staff took the puppies home and fed them every two hours until they were weaned.

"We are grateful for the job they do," Williams said. "We have foster slots we wouldn't have had before because it's really hard to foster a litter."

The youth detained at the center learn valuable skills, some for the first time, through the program. They are taught how to care for and handle the puppies and are trained to teach simple commands. This socialization and training makes TAPs puppies adoption eligible, which is their only chance at finding forever homes.

The sense of responsibility the youth feel for the puppies is borne of collaboration. Alves sought their input from the outset and helped them develop the program's rules and operating procedures. Program ownership instills pride and builds character in troubled youth, a group that is often hard to reach through conventional means.

Alves believes the unconditional love and good memories the puppies create are just as valuable as the nurturing opportunities they afford the youth. The Mental Health staff frequently uses the puppies in their therapeutic efforts.

The puppies' calming effects have helped youth cope with traumatic situations in healthy ways. Many of the program's participants never had opportunities to love or nurture animals until they met the Pixel pups.

"They talk about their problems to them. They become everything to them," Alves said.

Program participants are motivated to make positive behavior choices so that they can spend more time with the puppies. Each encounter increases their ability to care for others, engineers responsibility and ingrains compassion. The benefit is two-fold, because the puppies need love and attention just as much as their caregivers.

Upon release, youth from the detention center may adopt TAPs puppies for a reduced fee of $10. Some have completed adoptions and continue to volunteer with the organization. Their efforts while detained count toward community service and earn them prized volunteer certificates. The Pixel Fund is working on a similar program in Georgia.

"Puppies out of this program are highly adoptable because the staff and students have worked so hard to get them there," Williams said.

The Pixel Fund's core belief is that shelter dogs are no different than other dogs, except that they don't have homes. The nonprofit runs solely on donations and the efforts of a network of volunteers that stretches from Central Florida to Georgia and Maine. The organization advocates for dogs and cats and urges owners to spay and neuter pets to reduce shelter overcrowding.

Williams focuses her efforts on reaching the younger generation because, "this is really where it's all going to change." She believes TAPs is a critical program because it captures the attention of troubled youth and "moves them in a way that nothing else can."

The odds were stacked against Fluff from birth. Across the country, there are untold numbers of puppies that share his predicament, but won't share his success story. The TAPs program is a force for change as evidenced by the two puppies adopted under a tree on a breezy Thursday afternoon. Staff looked at the scant amount of puppies left with bittersweet expressions. More puppies are on the way, and from what they are hearing, may require bottle-feeding. The cycle is about to start all over again.

The TAPs puppies have found homes with families across the country, with local law enforcement and with the center's very own staff and youth. Williams hopes to have TAPs puppies that aren't adopted work with a training consultant to become service dogs.

The Winchell and Santiago families adopted through The Pixel Fund. Alexis Winchell, 9, looked at the puppy in her arms: "I hope every dog gets a home."

Fluff's mouth lay in a sleepy grin as his adopted owner, Ted Santiago, carried him toward the parking lot. Tonight, Fluff will sleep in his forever home for the first time.