Project POOCH at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility
A youth development program called Project POOCH, housed at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, teaches its participants specific skills and broader life lessons, while finding homes for dogs in need.
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Guided by Andrew, Siberian husky Klondike successfully goes over an A-frame in the Project POOCH training center at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. The training center is filled with toys and agility equipment to help the dogs — and their trainers — gain confidence.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Lakota encourages three-year-old husky Klondike to go over a see-saw in the Project POOCH training center at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. The training center is filled with toys and agility equipment to help the dogs—and their trainers—gain confidence.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Siberian husky Klondike considers a treat, placed by the Project POOCH trainers to encourage him to climb over an A-frame at the Project Pooch training center at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. The training center is filled with toys and agility equipment to help the dogs—and their trainers—gain confidence.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Lakota and Chris play with Siberian husky Klondike in the Project POOCH training center at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Andrew puts his head in an agility tunnel to try and coax Klondike through at the Project POOCH training center at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. The training center is filled with toys and agility equipment to help the dogs — and their trainers — gain confidence.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH youth trainer Cesar holds a treat above Olive, a 4-year-old chihuahua mix, at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH is a development program that teaches youth who are incarcerated every aspect of dog care and training and provides shelter dogs with a calmer environment to improve behavioral issues.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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The outdoor entrances to Project POOCH kennels at MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024, each with an informational sheet for the dog inside. Project POOCH trainers keep a detailed log of each dog's daily activities.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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The outdoor kennels in the Project POOCH yard at MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. When the weather permits, the goal is for Pooch dogs to spend the majority of their day outside.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Boxes of toys inside the Project POOCH kennel at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Part of the youth trainers' job is making sure the dogs have plenty of enrichment throughout the day, which includes walks, training sessions, and toys like the ones pictured here.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH youth trainer Cesar explains the training board, which tracks each dog's progress on various behaviors like obeying commands and lowering reactivity to stimuli like loud sounds or being touched, MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH serves shelter dogs who would benefit from personalized training to increase their chances of fitting into an adoptive family.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH trainer Chris runs Rosie through the commands she knows, including "lie down," at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH youth trainers have the opportunity to earn canine care and training certificates, which can help them find work in animal care after release.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Rosie, a 7.5-year-old Yorkie mix, in the arms of Project POOCH executive director Sarah Bradham at MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH serves shelter dogs who would benefit from a calmer environment and personalized training to gain confidence, overcome behavioral issues, and increase their chances of fitting into an adoptive family.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH youth trainer Andrew places a hand on Leah, one of the boarding clients at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility's kennel in Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. In addition to housing dogs waiting for adoption, the Project POOCH kennels also offer daycare and overnight boarding to give the youth opportunities to interact with many different dogs.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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A portrait of Siberian husky Klondike, made by Project POOCH trainer Chris, hangs on the dog's indoor kennel at MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Chris says the dogs help with his bipolar depression, especially Klondike. "The dogs pick up on it, and they don't really leave me alone when I'm in one of my moods," he says.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Oregon Youth Authority group life coordinator Edgar Cortez gives a treat to Olive in the Project POOCH yard at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Group life coordinators stay with the youth throughout the day at MacLaren.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Vivienne, a 1-year-old heeler, looks nervously through the fence of her enclosure at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, while Project POOCH trainer Chris works to redirect her attention, Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH serves shelter dogs who would benefit from a calmer environment and personalized training to gain confidence, overcome behavioral issues, and increase their chances of fitting into an adoptive family.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Lily, a 3-year-old dog available for adoption through Project POOCH, looks curiously out from her outdoor kennel at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH currently has more dogs available for adoption than usual. Executive Director Sarah Bradham says this is largely because more traditional shelters are being overloaded.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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A file for Lily, an adoptable Project POOCH dog, hangs on her indoor kennel at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Every dog at POOCH has a detailed file, and trainers keep a daily log of their activities, from food and walks to any behavioral issues or successes.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Signs for the Project POOCH kennel at the MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility in Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH is a development program that teaches youth who are incarcerated every aspect of dog care and training and provides shelter dogs with a calmer environment to improve behavioral issues.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH participant Chris explains the bathing station in the kennel facility at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. Youth trainers are responsible for every part of dog care, from feeding to grooming.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Kennel Coordinator Tiffany Cortes gets Olive and Lily to sit, MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Aug. 20, 2024. Project POOCH is a development program that teaches youth who are incarcerated every aspect of dog care and training and provides shelter dogs with a calmer environment to improve behavioral issues.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Project POOCH Executive Director Sarah Bradham stands in the organization's office at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024.
Anna Lueck / OPB
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Youth trainer Lakota wears a Project POOCH shirt and a fanny pack full of training supplies at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, Woodburn, Ore., Aug. 20, 2024. The youth are taught "fear-free training" techniques, which seek to minimize the animal's fear, anxiety and stress in new situations.
Anna Lueck / OPB