Dog day-care center creates portal for homeless kids

The Oregonian Copyright 2005;
Written by David Austin;

Helping hand - The program aims to get youths off the streets and give them the means to live on their own

Randy Jasper moves swiftly across the floor of the Virginia Woof Dog Daycare Center, kneels down and gently separates Harlan -- a thick yellow lab -- from her wrestling match with Libby, a retriever mix.

Sensing the commotion, a Jack Russell terrier named Lucky approaches and nips at Jasper's hands. "You can lick me and bite me all you want, but it's time to settle down," he coos, using his low voice to coax the dogs to nap.

Jasper, 21, lives on Portland's streets. He hasn't had a permanent place to live for years but is training to become an intern at the dog day-care center. It's operated by Outside In, a social service agency that aids homeless youth, and is scheduled to open Tuesday.

The agency's dog day care brings together two signature elements from Portland's sidewalks.

On one hand, it's a "dog town." Nearly 40 percent of households have dogs, nearly three dozen Portland parks have off-leash areas, and many stores and restaurants allow owners to bring their pets while they shop or eat.

The city's other common element is homeless youth. Official estimates put the number of kids living on the street at 1,500 to 2,000 over the course of a year.

Jasper represents some of the most difficult cases. He isn't a native Oregonian. He's too old for the services designed to get homeless kids off the streets, and he has no family to rely on.

So Outside In's dog day care may be Jasper's final chance at stability.

"Our purpose is to prepare kids like Randy so they can make it on their own," says David Stone, the center's director. "They gain work experience but they learn something more important: How to handle themselves in the real working world."

The Virginia Woof Center is part of a small network of agency-sponsored programs designed to help youth get off the streets.

The network -- created earlier this year -- provides experience through a job-training program that places young people in three-month internships at places such as Oregon Steel Mills, Coffee People, Big City Produce and Mt. Hood Chemical.

Kathy Oliver, Outside In's executive director, says it's too early to tell how well the program is working because only a few kids have been placed with businesses. The dog day care will have the most participants, she says.

"These are youth who don't have parents picking up the tab," says Oliver. "If you've lived on the streets for any length of time, it can be a culture shock to move from there to being a full-time employee."

Outside In wanted to locate the 3,350-square-foot center close to downtown and the dog-loving Pearl District. It cost the agency about $200,000 to open the center; half the money came from the Meyer Memorial Trust; donations made up the rest.

The storefront location on West Burnside Street near PGE Park makes it a prime choice for pet owners. It will handle 40 dogs a day -- the fees will help pay for the center's operation -- with care provided by Stone, a center manager and as many as eight homeless interns.

For Randy Jasper, the odds of making it are stacked against him.

Born and raised in central California, Jasper says he didn't know his father growing up and remembers a history of disputes with his mother. As a kid, he wasn't really close to anyone other than a pet Rottweiler named Buddy.

"He was my best friend," Jasper recalls. "The way I see it, he took care of me, and I took care of him."

But when the dog went after one of his mother's cats, it had to be put down. It was devastating to Jasper and, in part, drove him out of the house and into foster care by age 13.

He dabbled in drugs -- marijuana and prescription pills, mostly -- and got into a few minor scrapes with the law. He also bounced around -- he was placed a few dozen times in foster homes. "I didn't mind them, but I never really connected with people," he recalls.

He met his father and lived with him for a short time but decided to leave California for Portland, where he has lived on the streets for about three years.

Sometimes, he stays with friends. More often, he'll look for a warm grate or an overhang to protect against the rains when it's bedtime. Trash-bin diving for food is a common occurrence unless "spange-ing" -- asking passers-by for spare change -- pulls in enough money for a meal.

"I've been outside the last two or three winters, and I don't want to spend another one outside," he says now. "My theory is that for every winter you spend outside you lose five years off your life."

Eight months ago, Jasper discovered Outside In, thinking it was a good place to get a meal. Then he heard about some of the programs the agency offered and decided to try to turn his life around.

Will he make it? That depends on Jasper, says Stone, the day care's director.

Stone says he's committed to giving Jasper a three-month internship because of the young man's affinity for dogs. "You can tell he's a natural because of how he talks about dogs," Stone says.

At a recent training, Jasper appears most at ease when he's around dogs. As a group of interns works with the center's manager, he stands to the side quietly. But when the dogs are loose, he easily mixes in with the canines.

Jane, a spaniel who has lost her eyesight and hearing, cuddles up next to him. Hercules, an overweight dachshund, barks until Jasper quiets him.

"He just wants a little extra attention," Jasper says. "I like it here because the dogs are just as social as people but they don't judge you."

Jasper knows that judgment is real when it comes to how he's seen by much of society. He wants the chance to prove people wrong about homeless kids.

"It's on me to show that I can jump through the hoop society is holding up for me," Jasper says. "Success for me will be getting a job, getting an apartment and having cheap rent so I can get on my feet.

"If I make it, I definitely want a career working with animals. Maybe in a kennel or something. But it definitely has to be with dogs."