Begin Main Content Area

 Blog Post

Second Lady Fetterman, New Puppy Program Highlight Busy Week at Mercer

Tags: Mercer
October 02, 2019 12:00 AM
By: DOC Staff

Blog Header Image

September 23 started a busy week at SCI Mercer. On Monday, Pennsylvania's Second Lady Gisele Fetterman, wife of Lt. Governor John Fetterman, accompanied by Western PA Regional Director Julie Strickland-Gilliard and Special Assistant to Secretary Wetzel Deb Sahd, visited the State Correctional Institution of Mercer.

Following a short meet-and-greet with the prison's administrative staff, the guests went on an escorted tour throughout the institution.

First stop on the tour was the Veteran's Service Unit (VSU). While on the unit, Mrs. Fetterman was able to speak with several staff members that work directly with the inmate veterans and learned about the various services offered at SCI Mercer.

Fetterman with Cutting Board2.JPGFrom there, Mrs. Fetterman was escorted to Building 14 where she met Building Trades Instructor Jason Dunkleberger and learned of the courses inmates have available to them to better their future. Mrs. Fetterman's face was glowing with excitement and honor as Dunkleberger then presented her with a cutting board that the students in the Building Trades Class made for her out of repurposed wood.

While still in Building 14, the tour dropped into the class of Mercer's newest Veteran's Program: Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs, Inc. (GAMSD). Founder and Chief Executive Officer Carol Borden was actively teaching the veteran inmates their duties as certified trainers. This new program allows inmates to earn college credits (thanks to a partnership with Slippery Rock University). Inmates in this program have the ability to earn apprenticeships, which will help them to earn a living wage once released from prison. 

The escort then proceeded to building 3-A, the Tertiary Infirmary Unit. Here, RN Dave Marker explained the care provided on the unit. Inmates from institutions in the region that are discharged from the hospital and not ready to return to their home institution are temporarily housed here until they are ready to do so. 

From here, Mrs. Fetterman was then escorted a short way down the walk to a fenced-in area where the C.A.R.E. dogs were working with their trainers. The C.A.R.E. (Corrections Adoptive Rescue Endeavor) Program is a partnership between SCI Mercer and Strayhaven Animal Shelter in Greenville, PA. Strayhaven provides the shelter dogs, and 16 inmate handlers provide obedience training for them, ultimately helping to make the dogs more adoptable. Strayhaven also employs a certified dog trainer from The Canine Campus Training and Wellness Center who holds weekly sessions with the handlers and their dogs. After approximately 10 weeks of training, the dogs graduate from the program and are placed in homes as companion animals. Thirty-two dogs graduated from the CARE program in 2018, and 30 dogs graduated in 2019. The total graduates from the CARE program is 196.

To conclude her visit, Mrs. Fetterman's last stop was in the visiting area. Here she spoke with staff about inmate visits and got to check out the children's play area. 

Just two days later, SCI Mercer was busy again as it hosted a media event announcing the partnership with the previously-mentioned Guardian Angel Medical Service Dogs, Inc. (GAMSD). The event had many dignitaries in attendance, including DOC Secretary John Wetzel, Pennsylvania Senator Michele Brooks, Brigadier General Mark Schindler (Deputy Adjutant General – Army for the Pennsylvania National Guard), retired Pittsburgh Steelers star Rocky Bleier and representatives from both the Governor's office and local representatives. 

Staff and guests pose for a picture

The media event welcomed both print and TV media and occurred on the VSU. Here, Veteran Corrections Counselor Aaron Diaz introduced the unit's honor guard with presenting the colors, followed by the introduction of Mercer Superintendent Melinda Adams. Supt. Adams thanked everyone for their presence and acknowledged Sen. Brooks for initiating this program into SCI Mercer's VSU. If it weren't for the collaboration between Sen. Brooks, Carol Borden, and Sec. Wetzel this program would have never come about. Borden shared with the assembly statistically what this program has done for struggling veterans. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day. Since the implementation of the Guardian Angel Dog Program, Carol has paired over 300 dogs and there have been zero suicides and only one divorce amongst the pairs.

Sen. Brooks, Brig. Gen. Schindler, Bleier and Sec. Wetzel all spoke to the group, and the assembly concluded with the retrieving of the flags by the unit' honor guard.

The dignitaries then mingled amongst the unit speaking with staff and inmates. Bleier, a retired Pittsburgh Steeler and veteran, even took time for photos with staff and autographs with inmates.  During that time, the media went into a separate room with Guardian Angel Dog recipient Dustin Schneider. Schneider spoke of what his dog, Spangle, has done for him, and said, "When it's easy to doubt yourself and it's easy to get sucked into the nightmares and it's easy to get sucked into the depression, she just looks at me and I go, 'OK, I can change my comprehension.'"

Dustin suffers from severe PTSD and nightmares.  At the onset of a nightmare, Spangle moves into action, waking Dustin and usually placing a ball in his hand, hovering atop him. The bond that the two of them share is immeasurable.

SCI Mercer is the company's first program to be initiated outside of their Florida training headquarter and the first program of its kind to be initiated specifically for veterans in a correctional facility.  The currently-enrolled 12 inmates are military veterans who will train dogs specifically for use by veterans in Pennsylvania.  GAMSD's motto is "Together, we can unleash the power to heal."

The first round of dogs will be five months old.  The German Shepherds are scheduled to arrive at SCI Mercer on Friday, October 4, 2019. Carol Borden and the SCI Mercer staff are hoping that one of the dogs from the first training class will be placed locally so we will be able to have regular updated visits.



Share This