Fake Friends and Furry Companions
“A friend who stands with you in pressure is more valuable than a hundred ones who stand with you in pleasure.”
— Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Fake friends expose themselves in times of trouble. Real ones do, too.
Allegations of animal abuse, prison rape and bestiality in prison make great headlines. And when this “news” is “confirmed” by a prisoner, those accused of these deplorable acts are automatically found guilty in the court of public opinion. No one steps up to consider the potential innocence of incarcerated people.
Last month, Buddy and Timothy were accused of abusing a service dog being trained here at Maine State Prison. This abuse was supposedly caught on camera in the Earned Living Unit, where incarcerated men have to earn their stay through service to others and contributions to the facility’s improvement. ELU residents must also have had no disciplinary infractions for five years after living in a system where a bad day and an angry word can lead to a write-up.
Buddy and Tim are innocent of these charges. Yes, they are my friends. No, that is not why I make this assertion.
I make this claim because Buddy assured me that when he challenged the Department of Corrections investigator to go back and review the camera footage of the alleged abuse, it proved his innocence. As he has done a hundred times or more during his tenure as a dog trainer, he cleaned the menstrual blood off the dog’s vagina.
Another incarcerated man took issue with this, calling it “disgusting” rather than a natural, professional act of care. And Buddy made a stupid, inappropriate joke that Tim supported and riffed on (something they’ve apparently done before without causing offense).
Still another incarcerated person took offense to the whole situation and made the accusation that has led to Buddy and Tim losing their privileged housing, receiving several write-ups each, and being constantly ridiculed and disparaged by the prison population. I am disgusted by the whole affair and tired of hearing some people who once called these men friends make pejorative comments about their supposed proclivity for “fingering” dogs.
I’ve worked with both of these men closely for several years as a dog trainer through the K9 Corrections program at Pope Memorial Humane Society and the Little Angels Service Dogs training program. These men are kind, gentle, protective, diligent, and dedicated to their craft and to their dogs. If all three of us were released tomorrow and I had a dog, I would not hesitate to ask either of these men to care for it in my absence.
Buddy and I were cellmates for five years. You learn a lot about a person when you live with them that long. You learn even more when “living together” means being in a 7-by-14–foot bedroom/bathroom/study/living room. And you learn more still while locked in that box with them 23 to 24 hours a day for weeks on end, as happened during the COVID pandemic.
At the risk of putting too much of this man’s business out there, let me tell you what I know about Buddy.
He loves his nephew more than life itself. He is also a gentle and attentive hospice servant. He served his country honorably and was medically discharged from the Army as a sergeant, carrying a bullet in his back to this day. After returning stateside and suffering from severe depression and suicidal ideations, he credits the love of a dog with saving his life.
I didn’t believe it until I saw it, but Buddy cries during just about every dog movie he watches (Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, etc.). The tears really pour whenever a dog is hurt or killed in a movie. I’ve even heard him cry during dog food commercials.
It is obscene to say this man caused bodily sexual harm to an animal. According to Buddy, the camera will also show that Tim did not even have a hand on the dog when the supposed harm happened.
Could I be wrong? Yes, and if I am, I will own it openly here, then engage in a one-year moratorium on all non-academic public writing, bringing this column to a close if necessary.
If you call somebody “friend,” let your actions match your words.
Leo Hylton is a PhD student at George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, currently incarcerated at Maine State Prison. His education and work are focused on Social Justice Advocacy and Activism, with a vision toward an abolitionist future. You can reach him at: Leo Hylton #70199, 807 Cushing Rd., Warren, ME 04864, or leoshininglightonhumanity@gmail.com.
