UNDERDOGS is a special film that follows minimum-security prisoners as they care for and train homeless dogs with behavioral issues that have made the dogs —- until now —- unadoptable.   Positive Reinforcement helped both dogs and inmates find their way back home. 

A Director’s Event with live music from the soundtrack and a film screening followed by a Director’s Q&A will take place on Thursday March 20, 2025 at the Sunrise Center, 645 Tamalpias Drive, Corte Madera from 6:30-8:30 pm.  Tickets and more information here.

We asked KALW Public Radio (91.7 FM) for permission to reprint Grace Won’s interview with the film’s director Ashia Solei. The original interview aired on “State of the Bay” on February 10, 2025.

Grace: Welcome back to “State of the Bay.” I’m Grace Won. Tonight we have a story about prisoners and rescue dogs. Men serving time and dogs running out of it. But put them together and something unexpected happens. That’s the story filmmaker Ashia Solei tells us about in her new documentary, UNDERDOGS. Ashia Solei, welcome to State of the Bay.

Ashia:  It’s wonderful to be here.

Grace: Your film follows four inmates in the San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City as they participate in a program where they were each given an under socialized rescue dog that they train and care for 24/7 over eight weeks. Tell us a little bit about the program itself.

Ashia: The TAILS program is an acronym for Transitioning Animals into Loving Situations. It’s a partnership with the Peninsula Humane Society and the San Mateo Sheriff’s Office. The purpose of the program is to create a win-win situation where inmates have a lot of time on their hands are able to take under socialized animals, and use positive reinforcement — clear, kind and consistent communication — to give the dogs certain skills, so the dogs become adoptable. Virtually all of their dogs got adopted.

Grace: This is really good for the dogs, but it’s actually really good for the people in a minimum security situation. And these are men who have experienced hard times and they really open up to you to tell their stories. How did you build up enough trust with people like Mac and other men in the program to get them to open up like this?

Ashia: I attribute it in part to being an educational psychologist, as I have to meet a wide variety of people and been able to talk with them. I also have lived overseas quite a bit and believe that in general, when you treat people with respect, they will be open to talking with you.

Grace: Were you surprised by the transformations you witnessed over the eight weeks of this program?

Ashia: Yes. I think it was because the communication between animals that are not judgmental and humans really made a big difference.The ability to communicate with an animal and train them really made a big difference.

Grace: They talk a lot about in the film about getting that unconditional love from this animal. And as you said, no judgment.

Ashia: The original prisoner dog program was started by a woman who called herself a rogue nun. She had grown up in a different faith and been on the streets at one point and credited a dog with having saved her life. What she wanted to do was put the love of dog into the prison system. She started a program, still in existence up in Washington State, and worked with medium to maximum security women who trained the dogs to become very highly specialized assistive dogs. As a result, some of the women who had been in the prison system for 10, 15 years would get a job within a month. More surprisingly, the national rate of going back into prisons is about 66 percent.  In her particular program, it is zero to five percent.

Grace: Wow. I mean, that goes back to like, who’s really helping who here, right? Was there a specific  aspect of the story that left a lasting impact on you?

Ashia: I think hearing Mac talk at the end of the film about the changes that he had made impressed me. I so appreciated the vulnerability of all the inmates, and for them to be able to make that connection.  Being able to help another being change was really transformative.

Grace: Well, Mac talks about how he was disciplined with a belt growing up. And I mean, it contrasts that with how they train the dogs with positive reinforcement. And he says he wishes there was more positive reinforcement in  the criminal justice system.  I was really struck by the inmates saying they so valued the program. They were so grateful for this job, they didn’t want to do anything to screw it up. They didn’t want to have the privilege taken away from them. I mean, that kind of just shows how important this particular program was to the people participating in it.

Ashia: Absolutely.

Grace: Underdogs has also been picked up by PBS, hasn’t it?

Ashia: It’s been played on over 80 percent of all the PBS stations across the country. If people want to see the film, they can go to my website,

Grace: Well, it’s definitely worth the time.  Ashia Solei, I want to thank you so much for joining us on State of the Bay.

Ashia: Thank you so much, Grace. It’s been wonderful to be here.

 

Interviewer Grace Won is a former attorney and Producer for KQED’s Forum and KALW’s State of the Bay.

Director and Musician Ashia Solei’s website offers more information, photos and how to hold a screening of UNDERDOGS.

Filmmaker. Musician. Activist.

Storyteller.