Macon Magazine

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2023 | maconmagazine.com 81 INSIDE BONDABLE PUPS Corporal Brandi Smith has supervised Bondable Pups since its inception in January of 2017. She's a one-woman show with wide-ranging duties that include selecting and readying the dogs for adoption; managing their care; overseeing training; supervising the rotating team of inmates; photographing, videoing, and creating dog bios for social media and the Bibb County Sheriff 's Office's (BSO) Facebook page; conducting each "meet and greet" with potential adopters; and finalizing each adoption. A detailed vetting process precedes the adoption of a Bondable Pup because Smith strives for the perfect pairing of people and pets. First, she visits Animal Services to view the current dogs and temperament tests a few approaching their 30th day at the facility who, unless pulled by a rescue group or adopted, are placed on the euthanasia list. Capacity at Animal Services is 80 dogs and 40 cats, according to Major Chris Patterson, who oversees several divisions of BSO, including Animal Services. "We stay full and rescue groups are a huge help. Most of the dogs we euthanize are behavioral cases due to trauma they've experienced or medical cases from abuse or being hit by a car," Patterson explained. Undeterred, Smith does what she can, and depending on the number of openings, makes her selections for Bondable Pups. Bondable Pups' capacity is four medium-to-large adult dogs and two small dogs or puppies. Those chosen few dogs undergo a seven-day stray hold to monitor for illness or parasites and for any food aggression or behavioral changes that can occur during what she calls a decompression period. For dogs who clear those hurdles, training begins. To entice adopters, Smith's training photos and videos are sent to BSO's public information officers for posting on BSO's Facebook page and Instagram account. When asked about the types of dogs she seeks for Bondable Pups, Smith said, "The characteristics are rarely the same. Some dogs are partial to women. Some only like men. Some like children, others don't. Some require a fenced yard, others do not. I study how they behave with me, how they act when receiving a treat from my hand, how they react to other dogs and with the inmate assigned to them. And I always ask the inmates, who work 12 hours a day, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., for input." Although inmates are assigned to Bondable Pups by BSO, Smith approves their selection and is pleased when an inmate shows interest in the program, like Joe*. The 42-year-old inmate has worked with Bondable Pups for nearly two months and said of his experience, "The program has been great for me. These dogs are my Zen. My interaction with them has gotten me out of myself. The dogs are helping me more than I'm helping them." Smith even invites Joe along to the meet and greets she hosts with each potential adopter. Smith considers every Bondable Pup adoption a success story because "most of the shelter dogs I select are approaching their euthanasia date, are on 'a hold' after an owner was charged with animal cruelty, or are particularly fearful," which was the case with Genson, a Catahoula mix who went from petrified dog to much-loved pet. GENSON Corporal Smith spotted Genson, a completely feral dog, trembling in the back of a cage at Animal Services. The video of their initial meeting on the Bondable Pups Facebook page is heartbreaking. Sitting on the floor of the cage and speaking softly to him, Brandi reached out to gently pet him as he timidly crept away from her. She reported, "He was so frightened that at the outset of his training, he urinated all over the trainer and me." Today, Genson happily resides with Corporal Dustin Mobbs, an 11-year-veteran of the BSO, his wife, children, and two other dogs, including the deputy's work dog in the BSO K-9 unit, a Belgian Malinois with whom, Mobbs said, "Genson gets along famously." LEFT: LORI DODSON AND DOG GIDGET RIGHT: DOG GENSON WITH CORPORAL DUSTIN MOBBS, HIS FAMILY, AND BRANDI SMITH OF BONDABLE PUPS

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