There was a time when the only P Susan Boyarski cared about was the drug. That addiction devastated her life when she was busted trying to bring $5 million of methamphetamine into New Zealand, packed into 43 picture frames, and sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in jail. Locked away from her kids and everything she knew, it would have been easy for Susan to sink into despair.
But now she is getting a fresh dose of hope, thanks to a new P in her life – a puppy. Susan’s new cellmate is Hobbit, a 10-week-old golden retriever/collie cross pup – and the 38-year-old, formerly from Canada, clearly adores him. He may be as cute as a button but Hobbit is not a pet. After a year of being trained by Susan in the Auckland Region Women’s Corrections Facility’s new Puppies in Prison programme, he will be handed over to a wheelchair-bound person to be their mobility dog.
Susan, who cuddles Hobbit as she talks, says she fell for the playful dog as soon as she was introduced to him a month ago. Having the puppy in her life has eased the torture of not being able to see her kids, aged 13, 16 and 19, who live in Canada.
“Hobbit gives me a lot of focus. I miss my children dreadfully but it helps me pass the time, and it also helps me to work on myself. In many ways, it’s like having a baby all over again,” she says. “I knew it would be a lot of hard work but I didn’t realise how enjoyable it would be. I’ve really bonded with him.”
Susan has been surprised to find Hobbit has also taught her a few lessons in return. “our dogs are reflections of our personalities so I can see my own strengths and weaknesses in Hobbit,” she says. “I’m generally a softy, just like Hobbit, and I see that I need to work on my assertiveness. I have a hard time saying no to people.
“In prison you have to learn to look after yourself. You can become a selfish person out of necessity. But I have someone else to focus on now, and it’s so rewarding.”
There are eight puppies in the jail, paired with prisoners who are carefully chosen for the programme. Using repetition, praise and treats, the prison pups have to learn to perform a range of tasks for people with disabilities, including opening doors, getting the phone, taking off shoes and even putting washing in the machine.
No family has visited Susan during the two-and-a-half years she has already served. She appealed the five-year non-parole period, but that failed. When she is finally free, Susan says she will return to Canada to see her children and make a fresh start – away from drugs.
Although having Hobbit helps her get through the long prison days, she also knows he will walk through the gates to a new life long before she does – and it’s a thought that pains her. “He had to leave for three days for his vaccinations and I was lost without him because I’ve developed such a strong bond with him,” she admits.
As well as caring for Hobbit, Susan has been trying to keep busy by doing education programmes, reading and creating a special needlework quilt for her children. She’s confident she will be released for good behaviour when her non-parole period is up. While she once counted down her day according to how many hits of P she could get, she now counts down her prison term by the number of puppies she can care for.
“I would like to be chosen to train another mobility dog after Hobbit,” she says. “oy hope is to stay in the programme until I leave.”
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