Beth Hamilton

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  www.starexponent.com/cse/news/local/article/gone_to_the - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/3/2009    Last Visited: 8/3/2009  

  "These handlers are showing people the potential that these dogs have to be amazing dogs if you just spend a little time and show some compassion and some patience with them," said Orange County Animal Shelter director Beth Hamilton.
  
  The program officially began last month. So far, seven dogs have been enrolled and one of them, an eight-year-old border collie, found a new home after just three weeks of one-on-one training Hamilton said.
  
  She said the cost to the shelter and the prison is minimal. The animal shelter provides the dogs' food, health care and supplies, while the inmates handle the training and daily care. Hamilton and assistant warden Bobby Hickman said everyone takes immense pride in their work.
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  Hamilton said Norma is another example of the program's success.
  
  "You can really see that in the condition of the animals," Hamilton said.
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  And Hamilton and Hickman said that's OK, since one of the elements to its success appears to be the small size and one-on-one care, which is intended to make the dogs more appealing to potential new families.
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  Hamilton said a few adoptions are pending and more opportunities should be available soon. For more information, e-mail Hamilton at .
  
  Want to know more? For more information about the Coffeewood Correctional Center's dog training and adoption program, e-mail Orange County Animal Shelter director Beth Hamilton at .

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/lifestyles/pets/article/pet_proj - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/29/2008    Last Visited: 5/30/2008  

  By Beth HamiltonO.C. Animal Shelter Director

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/lifestyles/pets/article/pet_proj - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 7/3/2008    Last Visited: 7/4/2008  

  By Beth Hamilton, O.C. Animal Shelter Director

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/lifestyles/pets/article/shelter_ - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/8/2008    Last Visited: 5/9/2008  

  By Beth HamiltonOrange County Animal Shelter Director

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  www.wavy.com/dpp/news/virginia/va_ap_mitchells_inmates_ - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/7/2009    Last Visited: 8/8/2009  

  "These handlers are showing people the potential that these dogs have to be amazing dogs if you just spend a little time and show some compassion and some patience with them," said Orange County Animal Shelter director Beth Hamilton.
  
  The program officially began last month. So far, seven dogs have been enrolled and one of them, an eight-year-old border collie, found a new home after just three weeks of one-on-one training Hamilton said.
  
  She said the cost to the shelter and the prison is minimal. The animal shelter provides the dogs' food, health care and supplies, while the inmates handle the training and daily care. Hamilton and assistant warden Bobby Hickman said everyone takes immense pride in their work.
  ...
  Hamilton said Norma is another example of the program's success.
  
  "You can really see that in the condition of the animals," Hamilton said.
  ...
  And Hamilton and Hickman said that's OK, since one of the elements to its success appears to be the small size and one-on-one care, which is intended to make the dogs more appealing to potential new families.

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  www2.orangenews.com/ocn/lifestyles/pets/article/coffeew - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/14/2009    Last Visited: 8/14/2009  

  Orange County Animal Shelter Director Beth Hamilton said the pioneering "Coffeewood Canines" program began July 1 at Coffeewood. And only a month later, Hamilton said the six dogs who swap their quarters at the shelter for bars at Coffeewood and six weeks of one-on-one training have made remarkable progress-improving social compatibility with members of their own and other species which will ultimately help boost their adoptability out of the shelter and into a family setting. Inmates must undergo training themselves or have prior experience in another animal program to become a dog trainer. The inmates are not at Coffeewood for violent offenses, Hamilton added, and prison officials choose program participants based on their good behavior while at the correctional facility.
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  Hamilton said Coffeewood inmate handlers teach dogs basic commands like sit, stay, down and come. In some cases, conversely, training is tailored to help dogs overcome fears and anxieties. Thunderstorm-phobic animals, for example, undergo desensitizing techniques. Bashful dogs who cower when they encounter strangers learn how to remain composed and calm when they meet someone new. And all animals, Hamilton said, are taught "proper indoor etiquette. That's particularly important for a shelter resident whose previous life was spent on a chain in the yard. In order to assimilate into an adoptive family's household, Hamilton said dogs learn they're to stay off the furniture, no counter-surfing or self-serve at the dining table, and no appropriating human possessions for chew toys! With basic skills mastered, Coffeewood Canines progress to more advanced training based on their innate talents and strengths. The animals who demonstrate a knack for agility continue on a course of study that emphasizes dogs' aptitudes. For some of the animals, the unique training they receive from Coffeewood inmates paves the way for important new careers. Hamilton said so far, six Coffeewood Canines graduates have scored gigs as detection dogs, partnering with law enforcement agencies and with the Department of Homeland Security. "Aside from rendering adoptable often-overlooked dogs such as hounds, black Labs and mixed breeds, great benefit is derived by the human participants across the board," Hamilton explained. "With a track record of having qualified numerous successful detection dogs, these men are skilled canine behavior analysts, she added." "In the short time the dogs have been here the building has taken on a more positive light, Coffeewood Counselor Charles E. Seal said. "Their presence has been good for both the inmates and staff." According to Hamilton, Coffeewood's new canine companions provide comfort, assuage loneliness and facilitate laughter with their antics.

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/news/local/local_govtpolitics/ar - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 3/5/2009    Last Visited: 3/6/2009  

  Orange County Animal Shelter Director Beth Hamilton scored one for the county's homeless cats and dogs recently. Hamilton was unable to attend the board of supervisors meeting, but in her absence, she was complimented and congratulated for successfully securing a $16,290 grant from PetSmart charities. The money will be used for much-needed shelter repair and maintenance projects.

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  www.fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2009/022009/02262009/44 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/26/2009    Last Visited: 2/26/2009  

  On the plus side, Animal Shelter Director Beth Hamilton got thanks from the supervisors for securing a $16,290 grant from PetSmart Charities to be used for re-surfacing kennel floors, a mandate from the state Department of Agriculture.

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/news/local/article/economy_impac - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 11/6/2008    Last Visited: 11/7/2008  

  Orange County Animal Shelter Director Beth Hamilton said people losing their homes to foreclosure are losing their ability to care for pets, too. What she's seeing is a tsunami of abandoned and unwanted animals arriving at the shelter. "We're seeing tons of cases come in," Hamilton said.
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  Frequently, Hamilton explained, folks who lose their house to foreclosure are forced to move in with friends, relatives, or smaller quarters with no room for a pet. That pet ends up in the shelter. Hamilton said the best case scenario is a voluntary forfeiture of a pet. A dog owner, on his way to the homeless shelter, dropped his pet off at the animal shelter recently, Hamilton said.
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  Meanwhile, at the animal shelter, Hamilton and her staff are gearing up for the holidays-not because it's a special, cheerful season, but because there will be a tide of unwanted pets that were inappropriately given as gifts. Hamilton warns against giving dogs, cats-or any animals as gifts "for Christmas, birthdays or any other occasion." Hamilton explained the deluge of dogs and cats who are surrendered to the shelter after the holidays come in because amid the gift-giving spirit, people don't consider that recipients may be unable to care for that cute puppy under the Christmas tree. Renters may be subject to restrictions on animal weight or breed that are part of the rental agreement, Hamilton explained. Some landlords only permit a certain number of pets and some prohibit pets, she added. And other landlords might permit a poodle, but not a pit bull. "A lot of places have breed restrictions, where you can't have so-called 'aggressive' breeds," Hamilton said. Some of the animals who end up in the shelter following the holidays are brought there because their temperaments didn't suit the household-something a person presenting a pet as a gift may not have anticipated. Pets are brought to the shelter, Hamilton said, when family members discover the animal isn't compatible with children or with other pets. And frequently, the reason for surrendering an animal is financial. Hamilton said once the holiday glow fades, new pet owners realize they don't have the resources to care for that Christmas puppy. "You don't know when you give somebody a pet of you're going to be creating a hardship for them," Hamilton said.

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  www.orangenews.com/ocn/news/opinion/letters_to_the_edit - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 4/23/2009    Last Visited: 5/21/2009  

  Elizabeth Hamilton, Orange County Animal Shelter Director

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