Canine Cellmates : About

ABOUT US

Team Leader, Program Coordinators - Jenny DeWeese

Team Leader, Adoptions - Erin Perkins
Erin Perkins has been an animal lover her entire life. Predominantly being raised with cats and small dogs, her love of big dogs was sparked by a Rottweiler and an American Bulldog in her teens. There was no turning back then; the bigger the dog the better in her eyes! Erin is a corporate training manager by profession and devotes her free time to getting the Canine CellMates dogs adopted. She thoroughly enjoys working with all the individuals and families as they find their perfect Canine CellMates companion! Originally joining CCM for the dogs, she never had any idea how working with the guys would change her life in the best way possible. Erin is the proud mom of a Canine Cellmates graduate, a pittie mix named Ivy and a big, slobbery American Bulldog named Bentley.

Team Leader, Fundraising - Joan Pritchard
Joan is an Atlanta native who has been an animal lover her whole life. After making a living in advertising and marketing, among other fields, she settled into the non-profit world in 1989. After 5 years with a small, local organization, she landed in an international non-profit for the last 19 years. Believing that all creatures deserve a second chance, she is excited to put her experience to use to help fund the needs of Canine CellMates.

Team Leader, Aftercare Training - Lennox Gavin
Lennox has been professionally training dogs for almost a decade and is a CPDT-KSA Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge and Skills assessed, a positive reinforcement clicker trainer, member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, an American Kennel Club Canine Citizen Evaluator and a “Be a Tree” Presenter. Lennox is the owner Paws-A-Tive Results Dog Training offering in-home training to the Atlanta area. Lennox also works with Atlanta Animal Rescue Friends in Stone Mountain GA. Lennox believes in building the bond between dog and human through trust an proper communication, using training methods backed by science and time proven research. Most importantly, do no harm.

Team Leader, Events - Carrie Montagna
Carrie has over two decades of marketing and public relations experience with non-profits. Among helping these small but integral organizations attract new donors, raise awareness of their mission and improve their social media engagement, Carrie is instrumental in planning their fundraising and community outreach events. Carrie's professional experience affords her the ability to see the business side of every event -- from budgeting, forecasting, assigning roles and responsibilities, she helps ensure events are a success for non-profits As a strong supporter of Fulton County, Carrie works with local businesses to build sustainable partnerships where both the non-profit and the business benefit from these community events.

OUR TEAM

Lead Trainer - Angela Roggenhofer

Angela Roggenhofer is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer and a graduate of the Atlanta Dog Trainer Academy for Professional Dog Trainers. Angela believes that the human-dog bond is the foundation for any successful training, and that only non-force based techniques will lead to lasting success and maintain a strong, trusting relationship between dogs and their humans.
Outside of Canine CellMates, she is a trainer for The Pet Resorts/Atlanta Dog Trainer in Cumming/Alpharetta, GA. Her work there focuses on classes and in-homes – mostly puppy training, obedience training and behavior modification of family dogs, and future therapy and service dogs. She volunteers her free time in team with her Tibetan Terrier, Conga, as an Animal Assisted Therapy Pet Handler for Happy Tails Pet Therapy; she is also a Certified Volunteer Handler/Foster for Canine Assistants, working with service-dogs-in-training, and is certified in pet CPR and First Aid.
Angela was born and raised in Germany. She holds degrees in economic and social sciences and speaks four languages. Always with a great love for all animals, especially dogs and horses, Angela had her first dog, an English Cocker Spaniel, at age 6, and started riding horses when she was 10. Out of a growing desire to do something more meaningful and make a contribution to society, she finally decided to turn her passion for dogs into a full-time, second career. Angela loves yoga, meditation, reading, and art of the early 20th century.

YOU are Canine CellMates. Canine CellMates wouldn’t be able to save dogs and educate inmates before, during and after our program, without the generosity and dedication of people like you. There are so many opportunities for individuals or groups to help. No matter what your skills, we can find a way for you to share love and hope.
For more information on how to Volunteer click here.

Team Leader, Adoptions - Ashley Vaughn
Ashley has been an avid dog lover and dog advocate her entire life. Ashley grew up in Atlanta, attended The Westminster Schools and went on to The University of Georgia where she graduated with a Bachelors in Broadcast News. Coming back to Atlanta, she realized she was not passionate about her degree and interviewed at a doggy daycare/boarding/grooming facility. She learned from the ground up and managed the daycare for the next 6 years. The daycare averaged 60 dogs a day of free play in a cage free setting. She learned everything about dogs and dog behavior. Ashley now works in "Corporate America" and devotes her free time to her coonhound, her golden retriever, her family and Canine CellMates. She believes wholeheartedly in the Canine CellMates program and believes in finding the perfect home for every single dog that enters the program.

Executive Director - Susan Jacobs-Meadows
Susan Jacobs-Meadows is the founding director for Canine CellMates. Susan was a business owner in Fulton County for 10 years as owner of Encore Boutique in Sandy Springs. In mid-2016, Susan made the difficult decision to close Encore Boutique, so that she could focus her time and energy on Canine CellMates. Susan has an extremely diverse professional background prior to business ownership, to include the military, health club management, and marketing.

Susan developed an interest in jail dogs programs, and began work to start one in Fulton County Jail in January of 2012. Much thought and preparation, many meetings, and a lot of late nights “back at the drawing board” culminated in the launch of the Canine CellMates program on June 3 of 2013. Since that time, Susan’s passion for positive change in incarcerated men – and saving shelter dogs – has continued to grow and evolve. Some of Susan’s plans for this program involve a transitional housing facility, managed by men who have successfully completed the program, to facilitate successful reentry into society. Building a complete model of this comprehensive program, allowing it to be duplicated in remand facilities around the world, is also a long-range plan. And to think it all started with a dream... changing lives … one dog at a time.

CRASH - Male - 1 Year - Beagle, Pointer and Terrier Mix

Crash is a true medium sized boy - only about 45 pounds, and will probably stick right at 50.
He came into the jail rather tentaively, unsure what this new place held for him. His handler was ready, though, and took it nice and slow, and it was only a few days before this cute boy decided that this place was okay with him!!

If you want a survivor, that will thank you every single day for the rest of his life, this

tri-colored speckled cutie may just be the boy for you! He'll be waiting for you.

OUR MISSION

Canine CellMates began on June 3, 2013 in Fulton County Jail, in Atlanta, Georgia. Canine CellMates works with the Fulton County Sheriff's Department and the Fulton County Jail to provide a program that is as much about rehabilitation and the reduction of recidivism as it is about saving shelter dogs. The ultimate goal is that each dog graduates and goes into a loving and forever home, and men that have evolved while in the program, and supported upon their release, go on to live productive lives without further incarceration.

Team Leader, Inmate Aftercare - Diana Brace
Diana, a long time midwesterner, has lived in Atlanta for almost 4 years and works as the Adult Basic Education Program Manager at an adult literacy non-profit in downtown Atlanta. There she teaches GED classes and works with adults to meet their learning and life goals. She became interested in criminal justice reform after working as an educator in a county jail in Indiana. Diana jumped at the chance to volunteer with Canine Cellmates because it joined two of her passions - fighting mass incarceration and saving dogs. She grew up with dogs and believes they have the ability to heal and change people. She shares her apartment with one dog, Greg, two cats, Wallace and Sebastian, and her husband, Jeff.

" Utilizing shelter dogs to change the lives of incarcerated men."

Canine CellMates strives to provide a better life for both the inmates in the Fulton County Jail and rescued shelter dogs from FCAS. During an intensive ten week course consisting of education, training and overall care for the dogs, we hope to positively change both the dogs and the inmates. During this time, each inmate has the opportunity to train and bond with their assigned dog. At the end of the training course, our goal is for the dogs to pass the Canine Good Citizen test and graduate into a wonderful, forever home. We also aim to provide viable job skills for the inmates and create a new overall lease on life for both the dogs and the inmates.