“I don’t want a dog with problems” is what people often tell me when I suggest that they will adopt a shelter dog. “If I raise the dog from puppyhood, he’ll have no problems.” Each time I hear it, my heart sinks. Close to sixty percent of dogs in shelters are younger than a year of age. These are all dogs that were raised from puppyhood, and when they “didn’t grow out of it,” meaning grow out of annoying behavior such as jumping or chewing, they were labeled difficult dogs by their owners and given up to overcrowded shelters.

I had to do something about it! I had to give these dogs another chance of being loved. Can you imagine how terrible it would be if we were put to sleep after a relationship or a marriage we were in didn’t work out?

When Oprah Winfrey launched my book, it debut in second place on the New York Times bestseller list. Overnight, Americans had awakened to another way, a loving way to interact with their dogs. The emails and letters poured in, and I felt that I had to spread that message of love to places that are mostly overlooked. So I started a program called Another Chance for Love. But it’s not just for shelter dogs. I know firsthand how painful it is not to be loved, and I needed to do something for those people who aren’t as fortunate as I was.

The program takes place in juvenile prisons, where the prisoners are younger than twenty-five years of age. Their stories are heartbreaking. I can identify with them and I can see that if not for my loving friends and the opportunities that the Israeli army afforded me, I could have very easily ended up in prison as well. The prisoners are handpicked by the prison’s psychologist. Each dog gets three handlers; one is a “primary” and two others are “babysitters,” so the dog is always supervised. One of the boys, an eighteen-year-old named Kwami, became a father when he was only thirteen years old. Another one, Antonio, cried when he told me how he never thought you could love a dog, that a dog was only for protection or fighting. For three months we introduce the prisoners to basic psychology theories, where they learn the skills of communicating effectively in positive ways. Only then do we introduce them to the dogs, who live with them 24/7 for the next two months.

By the end of the program the dogs are transformed as well. Spike, a two-year-old Jack Russell, was brought to the shelter three times and was on death row. No one could handle him. After being trained by the prisoners in The Loved Dog method, he’s now a well-mannered dog and his new owner is thrilled to have him.

But more than anything, this program transforms and restores the prisoners and the dogs. Their basic needs are finally being met—their need for love, their need for feeling good about themselves, their need to be successful at something. It gives them all the joy of taking on a challenge and learning new skills; they feel appreciated. The prisoners often marveled at how much better their communication became with one another, with their families, and with the prison staff.

Kwami was tearing up when he described how much more patient he is with his kids (he has a five- and a two-year-old). He learned that being stern doesn’t work. A prisoner who used to fight pit-bulls cried when he remembered how neglectful he was of his dog’s feelings. He was amazed that The Loved Dog method works so much better than harsh correction, choke chains, or trying to be a bully leader.

But there is even better news. When the dogs are trained, they get certified as “A Loved Dog” and are available to adoption by the public. When the prisoners are released, they have the opportunity to come and work as trainers for The Loved Dog, and with the experience of play-training many different kinds of personalities (and not necessarily breeds), some of them have become expert dog trainers, working with us.

We give them all Another Chance for Love! May we all get that chance in our lives…

Smiles,