ICAN's CHAMPS:
(Canine Helpers Assisting with Motivation and Physical Skills)

A cooperative program between ICAN and IUPUI. The CHAMPS program provides IUPUI students and community volunteers with the opportunity to learn the basics of animal assisted therapy from a facilitator while working with a child that has a disability. The CHAMPS program benefits ICAN dogs by providing them with relevant experiences not normally available to them within the correctional facilities where they are trained.


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ICAN's Prison Facility Training Grounds:

With pups in training living in three Indiana Correctional Facilities, we have tried to be flexible and respect the different structure and needs of the various institutions.

How we select handlers is similar in all prisons. ICAN and the on-site coordinator jointly screen and interview prospective handlers. Candidates have to show a pattern of responsible behavior while in the facility, be free from any major conduct problems, have good reports from prior job assignments and not have a history of repeated violence.

All handlers in the adult facilities need to have a minimum of 40 months before release. Given the time we invest in training the trainer, we hope that each handler can raise at least two pups (takes 18 months to ready a pup for advanced training).

All go through a 2-3 month trial period where they are partnered with a senior handler. During this trial period, they learn the basics of teaching and caring for the pups, become familiar with issues people with disabilities face, and practice their training skills.

ICAN is currently running programs at the following correctional facilities:

• Rockville Correctional Facility - Adult Women

  RCF was the first prison in the state to have pups in training live in residence 24 hours a day. Located about 62 miles west of Indianapolis in Rockville Indiana, the RCF (a minimum/medium security facility) has a population of close to 1200 women. Because of the number of women living in close quarters, they wanted to have the pups spend the night in a kennel building to keep nighttime "ins and outs" to a minimum. Great effort was taken to refurbish an old pump house. Using materials at hand, the building was gutted, cleaned, painted. Air conditioning and heating units were overhauled. Extra fencing was used to create a large bark park for the dogs to safely exercise.
  
  In February 2002 Bud, Nora and Casey were delivered. Now Rockville has grown to become home to 12 pups in training!

• Branchville Correctional Facility - Adult Men

  Branchville has 8 handlers and pups in training. The handlers have graduated Daisy and Lexi as assistance dogs and Abbie and Heidi as therapy dogs. The handlers have developed great skills as trainers and have taken responsibility and ownership for their program.The handlers have used donated paint and other materials to create beautiful dog murals on the walls of the kennel building and a wall of fame to mark their pups advancement. They have even refurbished an old shower stall so they can keep their pups bathed and groomed.

• Indiana Women's Prison - Adult Women

  Located on the east side of Indianapolis, IWP is the oldest women's facility in the country. It is a medium/maximum security facility with about 350 women.
  
  Jordan, Maggie, Klark and Peyton arrived in August 2002. Because of limited campus space the pups live with their handler 24/7 in crates right next to their handlers bed! With dormitory style housing units the pups really become part of the larger prison community having other offenders serve as pup sitters while the regular handlers take a shower or exercise.
  
  IWP offender/handlers have worked with 15 pups in training since receiving their first pups in August of 2002.
  
  IWP serves as the hub of training for community volunteers who furlough the pups and team training where recipients learn to work with their new assistance dogs.