‘Everybody gets a little freedom’: Navajo County inmates raise stray dogs

HOLBROOK, Ariz. — It is not what you expect to see or hear inside any jail. 

Inmates giggling. Puppies playing.

It is 8 a.m. at the Navajo County jail in Holbrook — a time when Jennifer Lindke and Darlene Sanchez would normally be locked in their cells. Instead, the two are enjoying more freedom than other inmates as they cuddle and care for a group of 4-month-old puppies.

“Not having a cage over our head and to see the sky — it’s just a blessing and we totally enjoy it,” Sanchez said.

A blessing… in jail? You probably didn’t expect someone stripped of their freedom to use those words, either.

The jail’s Animal Rescue Rehabilitation Center launched in January and is already achieving its goal. Stray and neglected dogs are finding new homes with loving families. Well-behaved inmates are finding a purpose during their detention and gaining skills to use once they reenter society.

It all started with a dog named Rambo.

The shepherd mix, found by a hunter in Pinedale, had a 20-inch open wound on his back. Program manager Amanda Palmer said it’s possible Rambo was dumped. It happens all too often in Navajo County, Palmer said. Dog owners either can’t afford to feed their pets, or they just don’t want them anymore, so they abandon them.

“Someone missed out on a good dog,” Palmer said.

Navajo County Animal Control would have taken dogs like Rambo to one of several local shelters, which are often full or overcrowded. Now, non-aggressive strays can be taken to jail.

A total of 26 dogs have entered the program since January; 12 have found their forever homes, including Rambo. A sheriff’s sergeant adopted him, and Rambo still spends a few days a week at the jail.

The group of five female inmates that feed, bathe, and clean up after the pups call themselves “Paw Patrol.” Only those with non-violent charges are eligible to work in the program.  A position opens when a Paw Patrol inmate is released from jail, or transferred to prison, which is where Sanchez expects to go soon.

“I am very picky when we pick the new girls,” Sanchez said.

Paw Patrol inmates are sometimes left unsupervised in the jail’s old booking area, which had been used for storage before the rehabilitation program took over the space.

“I have had some deputies concerned about leaving them up there,” Palmer said. “But if they mess up, they are out of our program.”

So far, that trust has not been broken.

Sanchez and Lindke said they have become attached to several dogs in the program, and it’s always bittersweet to see them leave. They hope to leave soon, too.

“I made a bad decision. I put myself in a situation and I have an opportunity to show that I am a better person,” Sanchez said.

“I will enjoy every moment I’m here, but the objective is to get out, of course,” Lindke said. “Freedom for us all.”

The program posts photos of adoptable dogs on the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.

They don’t charge an adoption fee, but Palmer said donations are encouraged. They also have a wish list on Amazon. For more information, click here.

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