Puppy love: How volunteers bring opportunities to the Juvenile Detention Center

Once a week, youth at the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention Center get some unique visitors: three therapy dogs and handler Anne Herman. “The kids are so grateful,” said Herman, who has worked with therapy dogs for more than 10 years. “You can see their excitement the moment the dogs arrive.” Herman started volunteering with justice-involved youth in 2019 after moving to the Twin Cities from Chicago, where she had worked at a school for children with behavioral health needs. She heard about the now-closed County Home School and was interested in the program and its connection to her previous work. Eager to apply her skills and passions to a new setting, she reached out to the county’s volunteer coordinators, offering to bring her dogs in for the residents. Following background checks and training, Herman and her dogs began working with youth at both the County Home School and the Juvenile Detention Center (JDC). When the school closed in 2021, Herman and her dogs continued volunteering at the JDC.

At the center, Herman acts as a facilitator, letting the youth and the dogs take the lead. “My job is to make sure my dogs are behaving appropriately and treated appropriately,” she said. This helps youth feel at ease and autonomous. Youth can interact “with the dogs in a way they can’t with staff and other residents.” Interacting with the dogs helps youth “with calming, lowering anxiety, sense of belonging and nurturing something outside of self,” said Roxane Watson, corrections institution supervisor manager at the JDC. When youth are learning about and petting the dogs, “they don’t think about all the external things happening.” “The same benefit people get, dogs get as well,” Herman explained. “The dogs are working, but they also get benefits. They like to go [to the JDC].” 

Building connections and partnerships 

The therapy dog visits are one of several volunteer programs at the JDC, which range from chess and crochet lessons, to solar energy education, to mindfulness and meditation. These programs are all part of Hennepin County's holistic approach to rehabilitation for justice-involved youth, both in the facility and after they go back into the community. Herman and her dogs, along with community organizations and faith leaders that routinely support programming at the facility, help youth connect to other people and navigate their own emotions. Watson described how these programs help residents focus and feel a sense of pride and commitment in their chosen activity. Through these interactions, residents practice using social skills and building relationships.  Volunteers have a positive impact on staff, too.  “It gives a better connection [to residents],” said Watson. “Our staff is working directly with [the youth], helping them learn to be more creative and express themselves.” Opportunities for self-expression and the novel environment volunteers create can help residents open up, Watson explained. “We learn from each other. When a resident is comfortable, they engage more.” “Volunteers provide support in breaking up the day and improving the moods of residents,” said Catie Blake, assistant superintendent at the JDC. “Staff really appreciate the work of volunteers.” For Herman, the most meaningful part of her role is having “a front row seat at the loveliness of the interactions and what arises in people who have the opportunity to interact with the dogs.” 

Get involved

Are you interested in volunteering? Explore the employee volunteering page or contact Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation volunteer coordinator Lois Mineau.