In a previous blog post, I wrote about how much I love my pets. My cat Dale and my dog Titus are my fur babies and they are an important part of my family. Dale was three and Titus was four, so they weren’t a part of my life until after I got out of prison. I’m glad I didn’t have a pet when I went to jail because it would break my heart to leave those lovely faces in someone else’s care.
Today’s post also answers a question about prison pets, which I already knew the answer to without researching. However, I wanted to see what others thought about this topic, so I reached out to my friend Mistie Vance.
She is currently serving her sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Chillicothe, Missouri.She’s been incarcerated for 11 years and I love hearing what Mistie has to say about the issues we’re getting here prison insight. So, let’s get down to it and answer the question: Can pets visit you in prison?
In today’s post, Mistie will cover the following topics:
- Pets are not allowed to visit prison inmates
- Pets can cause chaos in visiting rooms
Pets are not allowed to visit prison inmates
Unfortunately, pets are not allowed to visit you in prison. Personally, I think it will be a very interesting experience. Come to think of it, one person brings their adorable little Chihuahua Paco, the other brings their tabby Skittles, and the next thing you know the chase is on!
Add a few more animals and you’re in for a mess! Parrots are flying, hamsters are hiding, ferrets are shitting behind puzzle pieces… Prisoners are laughing, tourists are screaming, children are screaming with joy. Sounds like fun to me!
Seriously, as much as I happen to like the idea, it definitely has its downsides. Since many pets are furry and many people are allergic to pet dander, it doesn’t work very well.
Then there are people who have had the traumatic experience of being bitten or beaten by a dog (or people who have seen the movie Cujo) and they will almost have a panic attack whenever there is a dog within 50 feet of them!
And we can’t forget the screaming little ones biting their ankles, they simply couldn’t enter the room without tasting all the delicious ankles available.
Pets can cause chaos in visiting rooms
For those of you who are partial to the exotic, let’s talk about what happens when someone visits with their twelve-foot boa constrictor. If I had been on that particular visit, I can assure you I would have been scared to death before something scary got close to me!
If I feel something slip through my leg, I’ll probably take someone else out and figure out a way to get out of the room! Lizards would be fine though – geckos and bearded dragons and savannah monitor lizards. Although some people may be as afraid of them as I am of snakes.
Let’s say a person likes their pets, something of a variety, maybe a goat or a sheep, or even a horse! Not only do they take up a lot of space, but can you imagine having to clean up all that poop? You’re going to need the world’s largest poop shovel (not to mention the foul smell that will fill the room).
People everywhere are choking their vending machine chips and sandwiches to keep from throwing up and creating a bigger mess! Next thing you know, teacup Chihuahua Paco gets trampled by a giant horse hoof, and someone gets arrested for assaulting the horse owner. Very bad situation!
Maybe only extra small furry friends should be allowed. What could go wrong with taking your brother’s hamster or your cousin’s pet squirrel? It’s all fun and games until Henry the hamster runs up the pant legs of the prison guards who have to take off their uniforms in front of God and all.
Believe me, someone will stay in the hole for a long time! And you can be sure that the officer will never work in the visiting room again in his lifetime. As much as I don’t mind seeing it, I sure don’t want to be the one with a rodent in my pant leg!
Anyway, if it was up to me, pets could visit you in jail. Remember, my decision making skills have resulted in my being incarcerated for the past eleven years!
While it would be somewhat therapeutic and heartwarming to have a group of various animals in a prison visiting room, it’s not a good idea. Pets won’t be visiting any jails anytime soon for safety, security, hygiene and smell reasons!
Do you think pets should be allowed to visit prison inmates? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: Essay from inmate Mistie Vance