Prison to begin dog training program

MARENISCO — Camp Ojibway and HOPE Animal Shelter are moving full speed ahead with a plan for prisoners to train dogs.

Warden Linda Tribley said the first dog, Anna, will arrive next week. Camp Ojibway, near Marenisco, will house three dogs which will be trained and socialized by six inmates to prepare them for “forever” homes.

It took more than a year of work to get the project off the ground, Tribley said.

Ojibway prisoners have paid for a lot of the necessary supplies for the dogs, Tribley said.

A total of 200 prisoners applied to assist with the dogs, but the program is starting with six inmates who were screened prior to acceptance into the program. Two inmates will be assigned to each dog.

The dogs will have kennels for nighttime, Tribley said, as HOPE prefers them to have some down time. Over the weekends, the dogs will stay in prisoners’ cells.

“We’ll build as we go,” Tribley said. “We’ll start slow and acclimate the dogs with the prison.”

Tribley said Alger County’s correctional system has a similar program, and the first seven dogs to graduate from the program were all adopted by prison staff members.

“We want to help find the dogs forever homes,” Tribley said.