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Franklin County Inmates Draw Portraits to Help Shelter Dogs Find Homes
Read the full articleUnder the Portraits with a Purpose initiative, incarcerated artists are drawing custom portraits displayed on kennels at the Franklin County Dog Shelter. The shelter has received 20 portraits to date, and each drawing is sent home with the dog's adopter.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/incarcerated-people-draw-adoptable-dogs-093000738.html
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Through a new program, incarcerated individuals are drawing portraits of adoptable dogs to be displayed on their kennels at the Franklin County Dog Shelter.
Dubbed "Portraits with a Purpose," the initiative is a collaboration between the shelter and the Franklin County Sheriff's Office.
The partnership gives people incarcerated at the Franklin County Corrections Center the opportunity to draw portraits that will be displayed on shelter dogs' kennels and sent home with adopters.
An artist information sheet is also displayed on the kennel alongside the portrait.
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An information sheet about each artist is also displayed on the kennel alongside the portrait.
The sheets allow participants to answer questions such as what inspired them to create the portrait, how dogs have impacted their lives and what they hope people feel when they see their artwork.
People who participate in the program can choose to draw "whichever dog they feel connected to," according to Hamill.
Hamill said the portraits also help shelter dogs by potentially drawing visitors' attention to them in an "overwhelming" environment that often houses 200 to 300 canines.
"It's giving an opportunity for the inmates to use their skills for something positive that's reaching beyond the walls of their facility," said Erin Hamill, the shelter's marketing and communications manager.
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"What they're giving us is something so unique and so personalized," said Erin Hamill, the shelter's marketing and communications manager. "You can tell that they're putting their heart into it. … It's giving an opportunity for the inmates to use their skills for something positive that's reaching beyond the walls of their facility."
"What they're giving us is something so unique and so personalized," Hamill added, noting, "You can tell that they're putting their heart into it."
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"What they're giving us is something so unique and so personalized," said Erin Hamill, the shelter's marketing and communications manager. "You can tell that they're putting their heart into it. … It's giving an opportunity for the inmates to use their skills for something positive that's reaching beyond the walls of their facility."
"Having these portraits on the front of their cages gives people visiting an opportunity to stop to really look at this, read through it and maybe make a connection with that dog that they may otherwise have just walked by," Hamill said.
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"Having these portraits on the front of their cages gives people visiting an opportunity to stop to really look at this, read through it and maybe make a connection with that dog that they may otherwise have just walked by," she said.
Hamill said the concept originated after a jail employee reached out to her and shared that people incarcerated at the facility were interested in finding a way to help adoptable dogs.
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Hamill said the concept was born a couple of months ago after a jail employee reached out to her and shared that people incarcerated at the facility were interested in finding a way to help adoptable dogs.
The shelter received its first portraits in September and has received 20 to date.
"This is about more than drawing pictures," Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a statement.
We hope that's something they can carry with them when they leave," Baldwin said.
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"It reminds inmates that they can still make a positive impact in the community, even while they're in jail. We hope that's something they can carry with them when they leave."
Although the program is still in its early stages, Hamill said it has received an "overwhelmingly positive response," and the shelter hopes it continues to grow.
Some dogs at Franklin County shelter getting extra help finding forever homes
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Shelter dogs are getting extra help finding their forever homes thanks to special portraits created by inmates at the county jail.
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Some dogs at the Franklin County Dog Shelter are getting some extra help finding their forever homes, thanks to special portraits created by inmates at the county jail.