05/09/2019
A slightly different but wonderful photo session for me...
Did you know that the Sheriff’s Office in Phoenix cares for and rehabilitates neglected and abused animals, nurtures them back to health, and adopts them out to loving, forever homes?
MASH houses animals seized during MCSO investigations and provides opportunities for inmates to learn compassion and valuable work and life skills.
MASH has been around since 2000, but the building where it operates has been obsolete since even before that time.
When Sheriff Paul Penzone took office in 2017 he began to conceive of a new MASH facility that would expand the program’s evidence-based programs to more inmate populations: incarcerated mothers, veterans recovering from PTSD, juveniles, and those with substance use issues.
I was lucky enough to get a chance to photograph some of the inmates working with these animals. It truly was a life changing session for me. The amazing rehabilitation that is going on not only for these animals but for the inmates as well was incredible. This was some of the strongest human/animal bonds I've ever experienced.