Meet Les Castro of Faithful Friend

Today we’d like to introduce you to Les Castro.

Faithful Friend is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which has been helping at-risk and incarcerated juveniles since 1999. In Texas adolescents may be incarcerated from the age of 11 to the age of 18. For decades, Leslie Castro, the founder of Faithful Friend, has been entertaining and inspiring kids with his highly trained German shepherds. In the early 1990s Reaching America’s Youth, a ministry with which Mr. Castro volunteered, petitioned the office of then Texas governor George W. Bush for permission for Les to take his Schutzhund-trained German shepherd into a Texas Youth Commission facility. Mr. Castro was allowed to perform for incarcerated youth for the first time at the Gainesville State School, a TYC detention unit, opening the doors to other Texas facilities. The success of those early years of interaction lead to the founding of Faithful Friend Ministry (FFM).

Incredibly well-trained canines can be captivating and inspiring to all ages, especially the young-at-heart. Focus and obedience are easily demonstrated by dogs, but it is their ability to convey unconditional love that most impacts us. Mr. Castro uses natural canine attributes to introduce truth his audiences can successfully apply in their own lives. This creative twist on imparting Biblical truth has been his unique way to disciple our next generations. Early on, volunteers joined Faithful Friend to share their individual talents in making a difference in young lives. Soon additional talented speakers and performers joined Faithful Friend to captivate the attention and motivate audiences.

Through the efforts of Faithful Friend, three main areas of discernable change have been recorded. Students’ academic achievements have begun to rise. The youth offender violence has proven to be lowered, and the recidivism of incarcerated youth has declined. In the last decade, the primary at-risk demographic has expanded for Faithful Friend. Now programs inspire Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, church youth outreach programs, special education venues, and independent school districts’ efforts to curb drug abuse and bullying.

Faithful Friend Mission K9 began in 2014. This effort seeks to mentor youth through teaching kids how to train dogs for becoming assistance and service animals for disabled veterans. Mission K9 expands Faithful Friend’s reach into the lives of more kids and dogs and develops the new demographic of veterans needing our help. Faithful Friend is supported by individual contributions, churches of many denominations as missions outreach, through grants, and corporate support. On average Faithful Friend is in front of over 3,000 kids annually. For long term incarcerated youth, Faithful Friend conducts regular mentoring and educational studies.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The first real hurdle was to get permission to be allowed into a juvenile detention facility. The fact though remains a warden/superintendent of a facility can cancel anyone’s permission to come in if they feel it necessary, even if that permission comes from the Governor’s office. The first time Les and his dog, Ayla, were scheduled to go into a unit, they were turned away at the gate. The superintendent took one look at the 92-pound German shepherd and said, “We can’t have a dog that formidable coming in here.” That was in Gainesville, Texas in late June, and the summer temperature was quite hot then. When told Ayla would not be allowed into the unit, the van they had ridden in was parked under a shade tree at the end of the unit’s parking lot. Les gave Ayla her “lie down and stay” command, left her a large bowl of water, and left all of the van’s doors and windows open.

The van was parked about 50 yards award from the entrance of the facility that was manned by security officers. They took bets on when the “unfettered dog” would get out of the van, but Ayla stayed her post. The owner of the van needed his sunglasses from the glovebox later that morning. He went out to retrieve them from the van, but even at a distance the guards saw Ayla’s teeth when she snarled a warning at the van’s owner. He walked back to the facility entrance and had the guards summon Les to come out to help. Les went back to the van with the owner and called Ayla out so his buddy could get his glasses. Les also took time to allow Ayla to relieve herself in grass by the parking lot. Les had Ayla return to her post, and he headed back to the facility entrance with his friend.

While Les and his friend had been by the van, a guard called the superintendent and relayed how the dog had obediently stayed put for four hours until commanded to come out. The superintendent met Les at the entrance and asked what him had he intended to do with the dog. Les whistled for her to come to him, and she dashed across the parking lot directly to him and sat down in front of him. Les and Ayla demonstrated one of their short routines. Permission was granted for Ayla to enter the facility, and the rest of the day was nothing short of miraculous. The superintendent sent out a state-wide memo on that experience, and Les and his dogs have been going in ever since.

Please tell us about Faithful Friend.
Faithful Friend was founded upon the unconditional love a dog can demonstrate. Les began by doing entertaining and insightful routines with his dog. Volunteers began joining Les to mentor the at-risk youth Faithful Friend visits, and then other talented Christian entertainers joined us. It is often difficult to gain and hold the attention of teenagers, and FFM gets their attention through entertaining them. We focus on the sound principles and the truth we impart, demonstrating ways to live a better life. Our efforts would be meaningless unless the outcome is discernible change in the lives in the people we serve.

As an organization, we are most proud of that hundreds, if not thousands of kids, have accepted what we have shared with them and had dramatic improvement in their lives as a result. We find not only are we making a difference in young people’s lives, but they have a marvelous influence in ours. All members of our organization have had experiences that are nothing short of miraculous. We have also seen extraordinary goodness spread from our volunteers out into our community in North Texas. Not only do we now go into the juvenile incarcerated community but many other demographics as well. What sets us apart is the high degree of positive outcomes. We try new ideas with additional groups with the sole idea of imparting wisdom and love, thereby changing lives. Our newest effort is producing service dogs for disabled veterans, and we continue to seek other opportunities to serve our community.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Growing up by South Padre Island and spending time at the sea shore.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.FaithfulFriend.org
• Phone: (972) 979 0300
• Email: info@faithfulfriend.org
• Facebook: Les Castro

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