PETS IN THE HOOD TEENS MAKE NEW FRIENDS.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

SAUGUS - As the broad-jawed, 110-pound pit bull named Moose strode to the front of the room, about 100 teen-age offenders - many considered tough guys themselves - craned their necks and gasped as the burly dog swaggered by.

Once they realized Moose was a harmless, downright affectionate beast, many of the boys held their hands out for a friendly lick.

This was the scene Wednesday during the first day of the Pets in the Hood program at Camp Scudder, a probation camp on Bouquet Canyon Road for teen-age boys.

The program is designed to help troubled teens learn compassion and self-respect by caring for animals that share many of their own problems - they have been discriminated against because of their bad reputation and are often abandoned by their caretakers, said Tia Torres, program creator.

``If they don't respect a dog's life, they don't respect their own or anyone else's,'' said Torres, who runs Villalobos Rescue Center in Agua Dulce, a shelter for abandoned and abused dogs as well as a variety of wildlife. ``Animal abuse can be a big part of being in a gang and dog fighting is drawing younger and younger kids. And they usually fight to the death because they're stealing the dogs.''

Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, star of ``The Cosby Show'' as well as the new series ``Malcolm and Eddie,'' attended the kickoff and urged the teens to ``just give the dogs some love.''

Every teen at the Camp Scudder will be assigned a dog - either a pit bull, Rottweiler or boxer - and will train and groom the dog once a week.

The program not only benefits the teens, but also the homeless dogs, which are more likely to get a home if they are trained, Torres said.

Torres said many of the teens feel sorry for dogs because they too have felt a sense of abandonment.

For example, she said, Moose was turned in to an animal control center because his owner was moving, and another pit bull named Duke was turned in because he was ``lazy and too friendly.''

``I'm sorry, but there are a lot of parents who are totally uninvolved with their kids,'' she said. ``And they have to take a lot of the blame.''

For some of the teens, working with dogs will be nothing new.

``My dog is like my best friend. She sleeps with me and eats with me,'' said an 18-year-old Santa Clarita drug offender. ``When I was a little kid, my mom gave me a dog and told me I got to be responsible. It's like taking care of a little kid.''

Another teen who lives with his grandparents in Long Beach said his family breeds pit bulls.

``Pit bulls can be lovable, but they can be mean if you treat them mean, just like people,'' said the 19-year-old, nearing the end of an eight-month sentence for car theft. ``Sometimes a dog can be your best friend. You can talk to them just like a human.''

Camp director Ed Anhalt said teens, particularly troubled teens, can get in touch with their feelings by developing a relationship with an animal. And, he said, the way a teen treats an animal usually reflects the way they treat others - and the way they view themselves.

``If kids are going to abuse an animal, they're also likely to abuse people,'' he said. ``But once they see these big man-eating pit bulls are really as gentle as babies, it helps them learn compassion and come into contact with their own feelings.''

Torres said the program is designed to teach teens six qualities: respect, trust, self-control, patience, compassion and loyalty.

``We put all these elements in each dog-training lesson so the kids don't even know they're learning them,'' she said.

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3 photos

Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color in SAC edition only; 2 -- ran in SAC edition only) Moose, a pit bull, above, meets teens at Camp Scudder on Wednesday as part of a new program in which youthful offenders bond with pets. At left, an exercise to introduce dog handling to the teens is conducted at the camp.

(3 -- ran in SAC edition only) A dog struts its stuff around the teens at Camp Scudder, part of a new program to pair troubled teen-agers and pets.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer