Animal House: K9s for Warriors Celebrates Award, Donates Station Dog to Local Police
K9s for Warriors has donated Buster, a sixteen-month-old Labrador retriever, to serve as a trained JSO (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office), Station Dog. Buster was donated in honor of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s presentation of the Back the Blue Award to the nonprofit. Moody presented the award in honor of the organization’s dedication to Florida’s first responders.
The Back the Blue Award recognizes law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations that take extraordinary steps to forge positive relationships between law enforcement and the community. K9s for Warriors CEO, Rory Diamond, expressed gratitude for the award and Attorney General Moody’s recognition of their support of JSO and all first responders.
“The brave men and women of Florida law enforcement face extremely stressful, dangerous situations,” said Attorney General Moody. “I am so thankful for the work being done by K9s for Warriors to help connect law enforcement heroes with K9s to help them heal and cope with some of the invisible wounds inflicted while protecting Floridians. I look forward to watching the Station Dog program grow and help even more members of our law enforcement community.”
K9s for Warriors, committed to conquering veteran suicide, is the nation’s largest provider of trained Service Dogs to military veterans. More recently, they have launched the Station Dog Program to extend support to law enforcement heroes who serve their communities. Station Dogs are trained service dogs that either completed their time paired with a veteran, or are designated as best suited for the fire or police station environment and Station Dog duties.
After completion of his K9s for Warriors puppy training program, Buster was designated as best suited for Station Dog Duty. K9s for Warriors then worked with JSO to evaluate the Police Memorial Building environment and personnel to determine who would assume responsibility for Buster’s care and ongoing training. Buster was assigned to two main handlers: Lieutenant Erica Weber, Special Assault Unit, who manages his daily schedule and JSO Chief of Special Events Brian Kee, who welcomed Buster into his family.
Chief Kee and his wife are empty nesters who considered getting a dog prior to Buster’s arrival at JSO. Chief Kee takes Buster home with him at night and brings him to work every morning. Both Weber and Kee see purpose in Buster’s presence in a three-story building of 700 people who never know what each day will bring, except that it will be consistently stressful.
“It’s like a light switch goes on when Buster makes his rounds and walks in….’hey, Buster’s here’. Officers who don’t interact much, talk to each other because of this dog and it’s a positive thing for everyone. Buster instantly creates a lighter mood,” Weber said. “He’s good for everyone and never meets a stranger. Anyone in the building can interact with him, or choose to spend alone time with him, if needed, just to decompress. Buster is always happy and that’s contagious.”
Kee said that Buster is the first Station Dog at JSO. Only special purpose, highly-trained search and rescue, bomb or drug detection canines, had been in the building before Buster. A puppy-in-training in the Police Memorial Building meant a learning curve for everyone.
“Buster’s training is ongoing because he’s definitely still a puppy who will pull his lead, test the rules, is playful and loves to chase balls. We have training classes for officers to learn how to reinforce his commands, so we remain consistent and ensure that Buster can do his job,” Kee said. “When I put his vest on every morning, he gets so excited. He knows it’s time to go to work and make his rounds. He visits two units daily, one before lunch and one after for 2-3 hours each. Buster brings joy to a lot of people. Sometimes he gets tired and he’s definitely the only JSO employee allowed to power-nap on the job!”
Buster is learning to recognize signs of anxiety and stress as part of his ongoing training. His on-the-job training at JSO’s dispatch center, includes learning appropriate, effective intervention techniques.
“We are continually looking for innovative resources to support our members,” said Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams. “While dogs and their special bond with humans are not new to any of us, bringing them into our workplace to help employees is a positive and exciting new approach. I am looking forward to expanding our team through this partnership, that will be life-changing for every member of JSO.”
K9s for Warriors, founded in 2011, is headquartered in Ponte Vedra. The organization has rescued more than 1,300 dogs throughout the U.S., mostly from high-kill rescue shelters. Nearly 700 U.S. veterans of all eras have been paired with these trained Service Dogs. This innovative program allows each K9 and warrior to build an unbreakable bond that promotes their collective healing and a return to normal life. That bond is the key to the Service Dog’s ability to help the veteran cope with symptoms of PTSD, traumatic brain injury, traumatic physical, emotional or mental conditions, while restoring confidence, dignity and independence.
This treatment method is supported by scientific research conducted by Dr. Marguerite O’Haire, an internationally recognized expert, associate professor and research leader at Purdue University. Dr. O’Haire heads the Organization for Human-Animal Interaction Research and Education (OHAIRE), research group.
K9s for Warriors is committed to bringing widespread awareness to veterans’ mental health, and contributing to policy-level reform of relevant issues.
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