VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas – DiAnna Reich of Van Zandt County is the program administrator for the Just Kids Hands On Pet Education (JK HOPE) Program which was recently profiled in the Grand Saline Sun newspaper. Reich is a Grand Saline police officer who handles code enforcement and animal control. The program has been in place for five years and has three aspects: Animal Shelter, School Intervention, and Community Awareness. With the Animal Shelter and School Intervention Programs, youth participate in a six-week program either at the shelter or at school with classroom time and hands on training working with a dog. The dogs are transformed into well-mannered pets more likely to be adopted into a loving home. In the Community Awareness program, the youth participate in adoption clinics, presentations, and festivals where the youth are able to demonstrate what they have learned. The article in the Sun describes the value of JK HOPE for the kids saying, “The program aims to provide youth ...
The Texas Juvenile Justice Department: Transforming Young Lives and Creating Safer Communities