Ethel's first day: ACJ, Animal Friends collaborate for new dog program
Published on June 16, 2025
There was an extremely smooth handoff at the Allegheny County Jail at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11.
Representatives of Animal Friends arrived with Ethel, a two-year-old mixed-breed dog who will be living on the jail’s female program pod. The goal is for incarcerated individuals to train Ethel to be ready for adoption.
The faces of the incarcerated individuals who have been charged with taking care of and training Ethel lit up as she trotted into the pod, the sound of the metal door slamming behind.
With nary a bark or whimper, Ethel approached her new handlers as they quickly bonded.
“I’m so excited,” said Kelly Keane, one of Ethel’s new caretakers.
“It looks like you got a sweetheart,” said ACJ Warden Trevor Wingard, as the arrival of Ethel brought to fruition a goal he announced during his first appearance in front of the Jail Oversight Board in January. “I’ve been looking forward to this day.”
Joelle O’Neal, another incarcerated individual chosen to be a caretaker, said she has experience with dogs and was eager to listen as the Animal Friends representatives showed proper dog training skills.
ACJ Capt. Gerald Roundtree, who is the unit manager for the female program pod, looked on with a large smile. Roundtree has experience working with canines in a correctional setting stemming from his work with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
When the state first introduced dogs into its facilities, Roundtree thought, “No way.”
His tune soon changed.
“It works,” he said.
Roundtree said he never heard a report of a problem with a dog, incarcerated person or employee while at the Department of Corrections.
When the dogs are nearby, said Roundtree, even the tough guys can’t help but smile and interact with them.
“They are good for morale,” he said.
The program impressed Roundtree so much that he eventually adopted one of the dogs that was trained in a prison.
“He was a beagle mix,” Roundtree recalled. “He was a good dog.”
Interested adopters can learn more about Ethel and the adoption process by visiting ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org/adopt.
Media inquiries may be directed to Jesse Geleynse, Public Information Officer for the Allegheny County Jail
jesse.geleynse@alleghenycounty.us or by phone at 412-350-1267 or 412-760-4760 (cell).