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MILO is a Belgian Shepherd Malinois and activity. He is very happy living in the country with his new friend.

JOAN DALTON Executive Director

Director's End of the Year Message

THIRTEEN YEARS of successfully pairing incarcerated youths with shelter dogs has been possible because YOU and other donors believe in the magic of dogs.

All Project POOCH dogs come from shelters and rescue groups. And, most of the dogs are of mixed parentage and on the large size — 50-70 lbs. These are the dogs that are most often overlooked at the shelters. We take the ones that have been at the shelters the longest and have behavioral problems that will challenge the youth handlers to try different strategies to achieve a well behaved dog an adoptive family will want.

It is amazing how the dogs present challenges that encourage the handlers to start looking at their own troublesome behaviors. There are habits to change and they discover that all dogs aren’t motivated by the same thing - just as people aren’t.

Some of you who support Project POOCH do so by providing much needed financial support while others reward the youths for their dog training skills by adopting dogs. And, others give of their time and talents. Whatever your role in supporting Project POOCH, know that we appreciate you and how you help us save shelter dogs and provide our youths with opportunities to become the kind of people you would like to have living in your community.

We follow up on our dog placements and how well our youths are doing once they leave the correctional facility. The news is very good. Youths are getting jobs and/or going on to further their educations. Dogs send us letters via their adoptive families to let us know that they are well loved.

From time to time we get older dogs and now they will have heated floors in their sleeping areas thanks to a grant from Frank and Julie Jungers.

Contractors with the gift of working with young people guided the youths through digging trenches, laying the concrete block, putting on the roof, and taught them many, many skills to put on their resumes upon leaving corrections.

Our community outreach office in Lake Oswego provides a place for volunteers to help us with our newsletters, organize piles of filing, maintain our website, collect donations, provide materials for volunteers to enhance our presence at pet events and service clubs.

Our board members are active and engaged in helping Project POOCH, Inc., move forward in offering opportunities youths need while in corrections and when they leave to begin new and productive lives.

A successful partnership with the Oregon Youth Authority is an example of how partnering can strengthen programs. We appreciate the ongoing support of Bob Jester, OYA director.

Another year end is upon us and we are very, very grateful for everything you and others have done for the well being of the youths, dogs, and Project POOCH staff.

Thank you for believing. It truly is magic and worthy of celebration.