THEY are known for being man’s best friends and that was never truer than in their regular visits to HMP Shotts.
‘Wee Dugs Wednesday’ has been the highlight of the week for individuals in custody this summer.
The idea of Officer Chris Cowan, he and his five Labradors have been spending time in The HUB, HMP Shotts' dedicated space for wellbeing and recovery activities.
Knowing the therapeutic value of dogs, Chris wanted to utilise his new litter of puppies to support people in custody.
For the past 10 weeks, individuals have worked with a specific dog, developing basic recall training and enhancing the dogs’ social skills. In turn, the pups provided much valued companionship, encouraged communication and helped reduce stress and anxiety.
Sadly the sessions have come to an end for now, as the dogs go off to start their in-depth gun dog training.
The feedback from those involved has been fantastic with one participant saying: "In the sessions I felt like I wasn't in prison. Chris made me feel like a human being and I thank him for giving up his own time to do this."
Another said: “I miss my own wee dog so I loved meeting these dogs. I enjoyed every single week.”
