Underdogs

(somber music) [Mac] What I hope, and what I think is going to be different on this release; the first time I was in prison, the whole time, I thought, "I'm not going to have any money when I get out of prison, so I'm going to steal this, this, this and this," you know?

And I even had new ideas.

Carding, making credit cards, and driver's licenses.

And I even had a book, and all these ideas I would get, I would write them down.

My thinking was that I had to get to work, stealing as soon as I got out.

You know?

And that's what I did.

And the second time I was in there, I was really angry still, and I thought the whole time about when I get out, what I'm going to do, you know what I mean?

Commit more crimes.

My thinking was, in a lot of ways, dysfunctional.

This is the most normal that I've felt in the last nine years.

She brings me joy.

I mean, I can't see her without smiling and being happy and I get down on the floor and play with her, you know what I mean?

And I'm not used to acting that way in a jail or prison, you know?

But then, I'm a big guy, so I can look at the other guys and go, "Shut up."

You know?

"Don't even look at me funny.

That's my dog."

They say America's a place for second acts, second chances, and I believe that.

And if this changes me in any way, and makes me more of a softer kind of person, and not such a hard-ass.

Yeah.

I'm not the most lovable person in the world.

I've got some rough edges around me.

The dogs that get adopted from this T.A.I.L.S.

program, we have pictures and pictures of these dogs, you know?

A lot of these dogs haven't had it very well.

But look at them thrive when they get somebody who cares about them and takes the time to teach them how to act right.

(upbeat organ music) (music ends) - [Lisa] I made a call to Peninsula Humane Society and asked if there was some way me might be able to work together.

-[Scott] The Sheriff's office approached us, they said they had men in a minimum security facility who had nothing but time on their hands.

You know, we know we always have dogs who can benefit from that kind of program.

- [Lisa] How could we do a program with dogs where we have inmates training the dogs and, you know, there was an emotional connection to the dogs by everybody.

- [Maria] They're warming up to us and the shelter, and to their new situation, so we have to start all over again.

So I would say, go slow with all of them, but be super soft and tender with her.

(rhythmic folk music) - [Lisa] In many cases, it's the first time that the dogs have been loved unconditionally, and that some of the men and women have been loved unconditionally.

- I saw an interview about the Humane Society and the huge problem with pet homelessness, and I think back then in '89, it was 17 million healthy dogs getting euthanized just because there was an overpopulation problem.

Dogs that had very little chance of getting adopted at the Humane Society.

They were maybe not treated well.

They were afraid of people.

They were sitting in the back of the corner of the kennel.

They needed a place to be fostered and trained and that's when we started with the inmate program.

We try to choose dogs that don't show well.

Dogs where we need more one-on-one time than we could give them at a shelter.

And that's very rewarding, when you see them turn around.

Unbelievable.

(upbeat light inspirational music) -[Jonathan] I guess it started with my mom owning like 12 chihuahuas in Puerto Rico.

We'd see them a lot.

And then I think by the age of three or four, I snuck out of the house and crawled all the way to Safeway, about four or five blocks down; and my parents drove around looking for me and found me next to a German Shepherd.

And, the German Shepherd was barking at everyone and was pretty scary, but with me, it just let me sit next to him and pet him.

So my parents started getting us dogs, me and my brother.

Just from that.

I tend to drink and drive, which is bad.

(laughs) So, I'm in here for D.U.I.

I try to do Alcoholics Anonymous classes and T.A.I.L.S.

just kind of happened because I like dogs.

I figured it would be a nice time killer, and it's rewarding, so it feels good.

- [Jason] What I was like before is, I'd say, pretty selfish, in my thoughts and actions.

Indians and beer don't mix.

(laughs) So I was drinking, got pulled over and got a drunk driving, and I'm here to man up, take care of my problems.

- [Mac] I used to be a computer engineer at Cisco Systems.

I was a test engineer.

I got a degree in computer engineering.

I had life by the short hairs, as they say.

I went through a divorce and got involved in drugs and gambling.

That's when I was really gambling, like out of control crazy and started getting high on cocaine and stuff.

I would just sleep in the car all week and then gamble all night, then go to work.

I actually did really good at that job.

But, takes a lot of amphetamines and a lot of stuff to keep that lifestyle going.

It was really fun for a couple of years, until I went to prison.

(Happy guitar music) - [Martina] This is Little Bean.

She came to the Humane Society together with a pack of other little dogs running loose in an neighborhood.

They were very undersocialized, all the dogs, so she fit perfectly the profile for the T.A.I.L.S.

program.

Edith is a pit bull that was found with another pit bull mix lying in somebody's yard, and when I met her today, her tail was down, she is very shy also.

However, I also noticed within 10 minutes, she already started wagging her tail, and came forward, which is a very good sign.

Candy is a very shy dog.

You have to approach her very slowly.

I noticed when their hand came above the head, she would cower and shy away.

She just needs a little bit of time, but I have high hopes for her.

The fourth dog in our program is Spice, who is by far the most timid dog.

She was brought in most likely from a hoarding situation, where somebody had way too many dogs.

They abandoned the dogs when they left the property, so she's excessively shy and will need the most work to learn to trust people and dogs.

All my dogs have been, one way or the other, homeless.

I don't see need running to a breeder, making them richer, when there's such a wealth of homeless animals out there.

(upbeat motivational music) - [Maria] So first of all, we want to thank all of you for being part of the program.

All of these dogs are getting ready to go out for adoption, but they all have little things in terms of behavior that still need some training or some work.

- [Martina] Edith!

- Come a little bit closer if it's too much.

Get her attention any way that you can.

- Edith!

(smooching lips twice) - Yes, and now, encourage her.

Second gear!

Second gear!

Yes!

Oh my God, she's slow.

Don't make her walk too fast, she's getting tired.

Oh my God.

Don't bother with the "Sit."

Reward her for one thing only, either the "Come" or the "Sit."

Edith!

Woo!

Hurry, hurry!

Yes!

Good girl!

(Inmates cheer) - [Inmate] Got to say "Woo" with a German accent.

(laughs) - Do not make fun of my slight, ever so slight, accent.

(laughs) I don't even know what you're talking about.

So, call her back to you.

- [Inmate] That's used to make the dogs go and come?

- [Martina] It's more than that, trust me.

- Woo hoo!

Yeah!

Come.

(Inmates laugh) - [Inmate] Told you it was the German accent!

- Hello!

Hello.

Now guys, seriously, I know you're making fun right now, but you do know, right, I try my best to make it really fun for them.

Because if a dog comes over to you, drudgingly, and it's no fun, they're going to shut down for training.

Edith!

(smooches lips) Sit.

Yes!

Good girl.

Okay!

Good girl.

Lots of people that get bullied have little confidence.

Same in the dog world.

A dog like Spice, who's very unsure of herself, when she finds a dog that she figures, "Ooh, there's not going to be much resistance," then it becomes fun.

And then they try to do this with the wrong dog, and Spice would go, "Oh God, that didn't quite work out the way I'd intended."

And a dog like Spice will never ever be the leader of the pack because the leader of the pack is a naturally assertive, confident dog.

They don't have to hover, they don't have to growl.

They just - their sheer presence.

They walk in and the other dogs go like, "Wow.

That's probably not going to work," right?

A dog that comes in and yaps at everybody and growls at everybody, (dog barks and snarls) people think that's a so-called dominant dog, but I don't even like that name, "dominant dog."

No, it's not.

This is going to be the wanna-be leader of the pack.

He's never going to make it to the top, but is desperately trying to impress the rest of the pack.

- I'm not really concerned about the next person.

Same thing with any dogs or animals.

I wouldn't worry about that animal in my growing up years.

I know that there's a responsibility within my people, being Lakota Sioux.

I know that any time we see an animal laying on the ground, we should give that animal respect and pray for it, or perhaps move it out of the road.

And that's another part of the spirituality that Bean is taking me back to.

- [Jonathan] I kind of think Candy might be thinking, "Get away from my cool master."

(laughs) No, she's probably just scared and trying to be like the rest of the inmates here and puff her chest out.

Trying to get respect the wrong way.

What I learned from working with Candy was that she's pretty hyper.

She's also kind of aggressive with the other dogs.

So she's constantly in bully mode, rather than learning mode.

I realize, being able to focus, being attentive, starting on time, like when you're supposed to start, kind of builds up a pattern.

You kind of get used to certain times of day where your mind's awake and if you're not really ready at that point, it gets harder to pay attention and learn.

So I guess I could probably use that to my benefit.

I have a bigger heart than I thought I did.

I'm kind of attached to her, just based off of the couple of weeks I've been with her.

I kind of have this fear where, if she doesn't get to where I want her to be, then she may not be able to find a home.

If I can't adopt her, I'm afraid no one else would.

But she's really cute, so hopefully that pulls off.

Hopefully she can make it up with her looks.

- [Maria] The main thing to remember is that no matter what behavior we are training, what exercise we are doing, we always use positive reinforcement methodologies when training dogs.

- [Mac] Positive reinforcement is how you train dogs or people without having to resort to violence or punishment.

I wish in the criminal justice system there was a little bit more positive reinforcement.

When I was growing up, I was disciplined very strict.

You know, with a belt.

Crack -- it was hit first, then explain, "What was that for?

What was that for?"

It doesn't work on us.

I don't think it works on people very well because you just try to get more creative in how you're going to get away with your will or what you want to do.

That was my case, anyway.

You start adopting these dogs, start to care about them and stuff.

That was a surprise to me.

In a way, it's like a baby, you know?

It's like the first thing you take care of when you wake up.

You don't take care of yourself anymore.

You're not even thinking about yourself and that was like, shocking to me.

Spice!

Spice!

- [Martina] Good girl!

Yes!

There we go, there we go.

Yes!

Good.

Yes, there you go!

And that's how we call a dog!

(dogs growling) - [Inmate] Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Hey!

- [Jonathan] Candy, leave it.

- [Martina] Is this too overwhelming?

Because it's going to be a big job.

- I try not to tell her "No."

- No no no, here's the thing.

When she actively goes after a person, yes, you can correct her.

We're not hurting the dog.

But, "Hey!

Enough.

Knock it off."

But if she does go after somebody actively, that's a big huge no-no.

- Okay.

- Because if she really does bite somebody else she can't stay in the program.

That's not going to happen.

- [Martina] It has gotten worse, I hear, right?

So this is obviously not the place... don't you mess with him!

- It's like a roller coaster.

There's moments where she gets better and she won't bark.

(Candy lightly growling) Where people walk by (someone whistles) (Candy barking) - [Martina] Yeah, obviously this is not the dog for the facility here, and we have had that before.

So, you did a really good job.

Did she bite through the leash, I see?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- So where are you going to take her?

Are you going to take her back to ASPCA?

- She's going to go back.

Mari's going to take her back after the session, yeah.

(Candy barking) - Hey, hey stop.

- Calm down.

- Do you know about how long you're going to hold her there?

- We don't know.

- Really?

- She's not going to be put to sleep or something.

- I know, I know.

- Unless something would go horribly wrong.

- No, the reason I ask is because I get out on April 2nd.

- That's soon.

- And I'm going to give myself about four weeks to get a place and a job situated.

(Candy barking) And if I can, I want to come find her and take her with me.

- Well, that's great for you.

Just realize, like I always say, don't adopt a dog out of pity or guilt.

- Oh, absolutely, yeah.

- No, you have to really know what you're doing.

And you handle her well.

Okay?

Hopefully she's not going to be too upset.

(somber music) - She's all sad now, she knows she's leaving.

(music ends) - It's not only good for the dogs, but it's like transforming for me, because I get some responsibility.

I get a lot of responsibility.

You know, dogs, you have to walk them first thing in the morning.

You have to feed it, you have to clean it when it plays out in the chicken stuff.

The most important thing is that transformation.

Some responsibility and I'm very grateful to the police for giving me that chance.

You know, it's really been... You don't want to mess it up.

Now, I'm even in a job training program here, where I leave during the day and I train in a culinary program and they're going to give me a chance to get a job.

I'm scared to death, you know?

When I leave here, it's very stressful, because I'm so stressed to not make a mistake, because I've been making so many mistakes the last 9 years.

Even just walking... they let us walk to the bus and you come back.

And I don't even want to talk to strangers.

I'm afraid to make a misstep, and, you know, I'm not going to but, something could happen, you know what I mean?

I was crossing the street and the car was getting ready to turn and he didn't see me and he stopped in plenty of time, but I just thought, "Wow, man, I'm glad that guy didn't hit me because they'd take me out of the program."

You know, I didn't even care about going to the hospital, I was like, I just don't want to leave the program.

I asked my parole officer, you know, "I need help with housing.

I'm not from here, I don't have family.

I'm from the East coast."

And he was just like, "Good luck.

The state's broke."

But, this program I'm in here in San Mateo County, there's so many people that want to help you with housing.

They'll help you with a job.

They'll give you a bus pass.

And I'm seeing that it's possible.

Like, I'm 100% sure that it's possible to leave here and succeed.

You know, it's like, that's what's going to happen, unless I mess it up.

I'm going to succeed, as long as I follow the rules.

And, the previous times, I never thought any way about that.

After being in jail like this, I can't believe that I used to complain about going to work some days.

People don't want to go to work.

Brad Pitt probably wakes up and says, "Oh, I don't want to go to work today.

I don't want to make this movie for 30 million dollars."

Maybe he doesn't say that; I don't know.

But, now I dream about that.

Like, I can see the highway from here and I can see rush hour when we go to make breakfast, and you see these people in their cars and you're like, "God, if I could just be sitting in that traffic jam going to work!"

So, in an ideal world, that would be me.

And I used to be a truck driver.

I delivered soda and beer back in Pennsylvania.

Now, I want to get that CDL license again, because I'm so tired of being around other men being in jail.

An ideal world would be to be driving a long haul truck with a little dog next to me, you know what I mean?

Like in Smokey and the Bandit, when he had Fred next to him, the truck driver.

That's like my dream right now.

Just be able to drive a truck 12 hours a day and have little Spice or Fred next to me and just drink coffee and smoke cigarettes.

Sorry about the cigarettes, but, that would be an ideal world.

I don't want anything else.

- Fred.

- Fred?

Fred!

Like I said, that's the dog I want.

- Hi.

Hi, Spice!

She's the nicest girl out there, Fred.

- I was just telling the ladies that Spice is the best dog.

- You know what?

That's good for you.

I want people to realize, in every dog, there is something inside.

It's just we have to get it out of them, you know?

- [Scott] I'd like to welcome everybody to the Peninsula Humane Society today.

Our T.A.I.L.S.

program is having it's, I believe, our 19th graduation ceremony today.

It's hard for us to find adopters who can provide homes as good as the homes the jobs have in jail.

(attendees laugh) It really is.

Each dog had two handlers, who had nothing but time to spend with them all day long.

They had a huge yard where they get to play.

They have a vet on call.

They have the area's best trainer, who gives them her time and attention and knowledge every Friday.

We're looking for special people to adopt the dogs, but we also think we have incredibly special dogs who have a lot to give to those adopters.

- I just wanted to give a round of applause for them.

(attendees applause) (dog barking) - She just has really taught me a lot about compassion, understanding, responsibilities.

She's given me more structure into my life, and I know there's other people and other beings out there, rather than just the selfish Jason that I used to be.

I mean, I'm getting teared up, man.

I don't know why I get so emotional!

These dogs make me an emotional wreck.

I'm sad to let her go.

I'm really kind of heartbroken.

I had my heart set on her.

She broke the clink before me.

I was planning on taking her out with me.

(laughs) I feel good.

- I'm Adam.

- And I'm Natalie.

- We're not completely selfless in this situation to rescue a dog.

We definitely need something from it on our end, as well.

- Yeah, it's important for them to be friends and have a connection, so hopefully that will happen.

I hope so.

- Little J, get in here.

Come on!

(smooching lips) Come on.

Aww.

In the case that they don't get along, what's the time period that we would have to bring her back?

- [Maria] You can always bring her back.

- Yeah.

She seems really rad.

I think we need to give some time and patience with them and it could work out.

- Yeah.

- In this T.A.I.L.S.

program, it's not just the kindness that I share with a dog.

To be honest with you, it's from the cops here, too.

They give you a chance to be in the program and I also started to see the police here as not my enemy.

They offered me this and they didn't even know me.

I just felt like, given this opportunity, I didn't want to mess it up.

- What I like about Fred is that he is mellow.

He seems to be very friendly.

And of course, cute dog.

It's like love at first sight.

I've mentioned him to my daughter and she's equally excited about it and here we are!

Taking Fred home.

So it's a great day today.

- [Les] I found a photograph of, "The dog with the ears," and that's what really attracted me.

I thought, "Oh my gosh, what a dog!"

And Rascal came out, and she took an immediate liking to Ginna and we thought, "Okay, well this one's for sure a keeper."

(Ginna laughs) And Rascal, or Babe, is deaf.

100% deaf.

Martina later told us she has lots of experience in training both blind dogs and deaf dogs.

You know, the trick is just providing them the ability to communicate so they can be safe.

Because, she can't hear another dog.

She can't hear a car.

She can't hear anything.

So, if you have a heart out for dogs who have been rejected, you've got a deaf dog.

The fact that they're both pit bulls, it's like they have three strikes.

How many reasons can you need for why people wouldn't take these dogs?

So we thought it would be really important for us to give them a home.

- So I guess, I don't know what happened this time.

I guess I came to a realization that it's not working out.

And I'm tired.

I'm tired of being locked up.

It's like my whole 40's, you know?

I'm 49 now, and I first started when I was 41 going to jail, prison.

And so my whole 40's have been wasted, you know?

I'm really done.

You know what I mean?

It's like I'm retired from it.

I really am.

As a matter of fact, on a Google drive I had, I still had a bunch of templates for driver's licenses and credit cards and things like that, and I deleted the whole drive.

I was like, "I don't need that anymore."

There's even credit card numbers.

There was like a hundred credit card numbers on there, too.

I just deleted them all.

I was like, "Well, I don't need this anymore."

- [Andrew] The mother of the kids and then they have their grandma and grandpa.

- Okay, excellent.

Is it because I'm right here?

Is she shy?

- She's a little shy with everybody in general.

- I'm so adorable.

I don't get it!

You're doing good with her, nice!

High five!

- Great, she's a great dog.

She's shy, of course.

She's been through some stuff, but yeah, we'd love to take her home.

Make her part of the family.

- I fell in love with Bean since I seen her.

- [Martina] Maria, hi!

They really like Bean and want to take her home.

Oh, hang on.

Let me tell them that!

On the way back, I'll meet you here again and you can take her home.

- [Andrew] After the graduation, someone else already had the interview.

I was worried that I wasn't going to get her.

I'm hoping, yeah, that everything goes smooth.

Even though it was only like 30 minutes, it felt like forever.

I can't wait to just go home and just introduce her to her new home.

- It's alright.

It's okay.

Good girl, Bean.

Good girl!

Good job!

I'm a completely nervous wreck.

- It must be a lot for you.

- It is, I see like the ducklings leave the nest, you know?

- Exactly.

She's in good hands.

- If you know of anybody, we have many many more where that came from, unfortunately.

- Alright, you hold her and we'll take her home!

- Take good care of my puppy!

- You guys ready for your new dog?

- [Kids] Yeah!

- Okay.

- [Andrew] Let us know.

If anything, we'll definitely call you to keep you updated.

I'll make sure she loves it where we go.

(car engine starts) - Bye guys!

I know, the little girl is looking at me like I've lost it.

- Bye!

- Bye guys, I'll talk to you later.

Used to be it all was me until you came along My taking care of you gave us a place to belong Never thought that this would lead me back home, Shine your love, Shine your love, On this underdog, Shine your love, On me, On me, Shine (gentle music) Used to be royalty in the high court of their love Used to be Queen of Hearts with diamonds and stars Somehow I lost my way, never fell so far Shine your love on this underdog Shine your love on me - [Narrator] For more information about "Underdogs," director and musician Ashia Solei, and related educational information, visit www.underdogsdocumentary.com.

(upbeat music) (bright music)