Think dogs, not science. Everywhere I turn, I see a proliferation of dogs being sworn in as members of law enforcement agencies, not necessarily as crimefighters but as wellness “coaches,” providing tacit companionship and a therapeutic brand increasingly necessary for our nation’s hyper-stressed cops handling societal chaos.
Although several breeds nobly serve LEOs at agencies across America, the Labrador Retriever (Lab) for law enforcement organizations and their sworn and civilian support staff is a recurring breed for holistic provisions and calming presence.
The beaut up top is “K9 Buffalo, a Black Lab sworn in and vested among the ranks of the Seattle Police Department,” serving as a “wellness dog.”
Per a Seattle PD press release trumpeting Buffalo’s recent birthday: “Wellness Dog Buffalo is an English Labrador who was born on August 13, 2019. He joined SPD’s Wellness Unit in July 2022 along with Wellness Dog Otis and Comfort Dog Ryan, thanks to a partnership with America’s VetDogs and Courthouse Dogs Foundation.
“As a Wellness Dog, Buffalo’s primary job is to help reduce officer stress and anxiety, soothe symptoms of PTSD, and support overall officer well-being. He works out of SPD’s Park 90/5 suite of offices but can deploy to any of SPD’s precincts or facilities based on need. From the instant we met him, we knew that there was something truly special about Buffalo!”
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
Following NPA’s stellar writer Steve Pomper, who retired from SPD and duly articulates about the agency’s beleaguered force due to wokeness and poor politics and “leadership” gifting a bona fide taxpayer-funded police precinct over to hoodlums lacking a real cause (just because), K9 Buffalo is a golden nugget for Seattle PD staff enduring an anti-police saga that festered way too long. It continues…
K9 Buffalo “…is a calm, well-behaved dog who is absolutely smitten with belly rubs. His sweet, unflappable nature makes him exceptional at his job of providing support, love, and affection to anyone impacted by trauma or in crisis.”
Anyone implies not just Seattle PD members but also citizens who share the city and feel the weight of its zany politics making life needlessly laborious.
“To the dogs” is not necessarily a negative connotation. In the case of K9 Buffalo (and any other canine employed among the ranks of human counterparts fighting stress-inducing crime on behalf of law-abiding constituents), serving as a much-needed therapy for Seattle cops translates to righteous equilibrium transcending the well-being of citizens in the community.
The mesmerizing eyes of dogs “talk” and have a way with humans in uniform…sensing burdens, empathizing tacitly. What do you think?
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
My department’s canines, albeit all trained/certified as crimefighting dogs, were always a hit at our city’s public relations venues, both formal and informal.
There’s just something about service animals that seems like Bondo, influencing folks to engage in conversation with LEOs, sharing time, opening up to one another, deftly evoking smiles on faces, and indelibly marking moments between cops and community members.
Attend a police canine demonstration…see for yourself.
Partnerships in every community should go beyond cops who rely on each other to survive another shift and return to embrace their respective loved ones after each tour of duty.
In that context, some of the service animals connected with cops are from private citizens whose ideals of law and order compel them to gift law enforcement agencies with components to help achieve goals mindfully and safely.
My department’s canines were largely made possible via cop-centric grants offered to law enforcement entities seeking to solidify crimefighting and public relations initiatives.
Conversely, some police agencies conduct canine acquisitions proposed by private donors wishing to bolster law enforcement organizations by donating dogs deemed ideal for the ranks of cops and support staff.
K9 Buffalo is one such example…
“Buffalo was raised in Maryland by his foster family” who shared some of his many attributes such as the insatiable appetite for belly rubs (tactile, sensory therapy for both the dog and law enforcement personnel feeling the pressurized volatility of The Job), a proverbial win-win!
“Mr. Wiggles”
As cops are around any of their four-legged canine team cohorts, personality traits surface and become a huge part of the dog’s legend at the agency, sometimes leaking out into the community (public relations stories).
“According to his foster mom, Buffalo has loved belly rubs ever since he was a tiny 3-month-old puppy. Literally, since the moment she got him, anytime anyone approached to pet him, he would face them, and then lift his paw to provide easy belly access. He grew up visiting the dog beach on the weekends in the summertime and loved to play fetch and swim with his friends.
“He earned the nickname ‘Mr. Wiggles’ back then because he’d get so excited at mealtimes that he’d prance around wiggling his backside with a bone in his mouth.
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Foundation.)
Those who donate police service dogs to law enforcement agencies are behind-the-scenes heroes whose hearts evoke empathy for the benthic depths of job-related stress encountered by and unrelentingly foisted upon cops in America.
There is something about dogs providing wellness and therapeutic measures with such ease, naturally, without Herculean effort. Of course, our law enforcement institutions should take advantage of the godsend delivered by a dog. Inverted or right-reading, good prevails.
Kudos Where Kudos Are Due
Given some members of our society devoting inordinate time every day, bashing the phenomenal work performed by America’s cops who are not blind to the huge risk to their lives, it is wholly reassuring to experience citizens of the opposite mindset embracing our courageous crimefighters in various ways.
Citizens caring about cops and doing something on their behalf is, perhaps, the ingredient that refills the tanks of LEOs confronting evil from all sides and all too often.
Regarding the gracious gift of K9 Buffalo, Seattle cops extend kudos to his police-supporting donor, saying, “We are so grateful to Buffalo’s foster mom, Kristen Palardy, for sending us photos from when Buffalo was a puppy!”
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Police Department.)
Ms. Palardy provided a good life for Buffalo before she decided to donate him to Seattle cops, resulting in a well-cared-for dog whose will-work-for-belly-rubs constitution fits right in with understaffed, overworked, and underappreciated officers feverishly endeavoring to keep a lid on Bizarro world antics festered far too long.
Reviewing the Courthouse Dogs Foundation site, it is apparent that labs for law enforcement purposes are the ideal breed for wellness for first responders and serenity in workplace confines.
Facility Dogs
According to the Courthouse Dogs Foundation, Labs are ideally suited for calming purposes and are often classed as facility dogs, differentiating among other purposes for which certified police dog breeds are applicable:
“A courthouse facility dog is a professionally trained assistance dog, suitable for providing quiet companionship to vulnerable individuals in legal settings without causing any disruption of the proceedings. Facility dogs are working dogs that are specially chosen because of their calm demeanor and ability to work in a high-stress environment thereby decreasing the risk of creating legal issues.” (Victims’ advocates of the silent kind.)
(Photo courtesy of Courthouse Dogs Foundation.)
That reflects what we touched upon up top: certain dog breeds lend well to Zen-like personas. Given our topic today, Labs stand out in environments where government proceedings are evolving and sanctity is the desired tempo, for both sworn officials and citizens enduring stressful situations.
“When their workday is over, they go home with their primary handler and are ‘off duty’.” As mentioned earlier, K9 Buffalo is assigned to his handler, a Seattle Police lieutenant who opened up his homestead to K9 Buffalo.
We wrap up with Attaboys offered after witnessing soothing interactions and life-preserving feats gracefully performed by labs in law enforcement.
It’s easy to agree with what Ms. Palardy wrote on the Seattle Police Foundation’s social media site: “So happy he is continuing to make a positive impact. He was always meant for this work!”
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