I went to the Gwinnett County jail. First I went to Sheriff Conway’s office and talked to him and asked him questions about his Jail Dogs program and how me and my mom will try and bring it to Cherokee County. Sheriff Conway’s dog is from Hurricane Katrina. Then I went to see the dogs that the inmates in the jail train and take care of. I saw Roxy who is a yellow pitbull Labrador mix, Sonya who does lots of tricks and is black and white, and Bandit whose back legs do not work. I also found a basketball hoop in there and made a shot from half court. I also went to the cat section which is in the laundry section with the women inmates. These were my questions to Sheriff Conway:
How long have you been doing this?
Since 2010
How many dogs and cats have you rescued?
295+ dogs. Cats are a relatively recent introduction, 41 cats so far.
How many dogs and cats are here right now?
17-20 dogs and 10-15 cats.
Who should I talk to to get Jail Dogs in Cherokee County?
The Sheriff. Who is changing soon as I am retiring. .
How do you choose the prisoners?
By classification (dangerous or not). They must have good behavior in jail. They must have not committed a crime of violence or involving animal abuse. There is a long waiting list to get into this program and it is interesting in that it is quite common for competing gang members to bond over the care and training of the dogs.
Do the dogs sleep in the cells?
They have a kennel in the cells, but most sleep in bed with the prisoner.
Rob with Gwinnett Sheriff, Butch Conway and his dog JP.