Inmates in a Tasmanian prison have adopted a dog that was so anxious no one else wanted him.
“Caesar would fret so much when he went out that he was actually only happy when he was here,” says prison officer Wayne Schulze.
Ten-year-old Caesar suffers from such extreme separation anxiety , he can’t be left alone for more than 30 minutes.
He is now enjoying a happy, secure life behind bars, showered with attention.
It’s a dogs-life sentence for Caesar
Caesar was part of the ‘Pups on Parole’ programme and used to visit the prison in Risdon, Tasmania, regularly to be trained and socialised by inmates. The idea was that he would eventually be adopted.
It soon became evident that the Staffordshire-Labrador cross’s crippling anxiety was too daunting for potential adopters outside the prison.
That’s when the minimum-security prison inmates banded together and raised A$14,000 (€8,650) to adopt the anxious pooch .
Now Caesar is living his best life… even if that is behind bars.
“Up and down the landing all day, there’s pats all day which is perfect for him,” says Caesar’s handler.
“The jail has been excellent because he is never without a human.”
How does a dog help an inmate?
It’s not just Caesar who is benefitting from his new life behind bars. It’s changing the lives of the inmates too.
“He is family, it’s the closest we’ve got to family, that dog,” says Caesar’s handler.
“I’ve seen troubled men come into this place and spend a bit of time with Caesar and, yeah, it’s amazing what it’ll do,” says prison officer Schulze.
