Dogs on duty make a difference in Worcester County

WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – In Worcester County, dogs on duty are making a difference. Hero Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Montgomery County. However, the organization has placed two crucial canines with first responders and family advocates on the Eastern Shore.

“When you walk into a room, it’s not, ‘How are you doing?’—it’s ‘Hey, Max!'” said Ryan Whittington with the Ocean City Fire Department.

Tremendous Impact with a Tail

The department began its therapy dog program just over two years ago. Whittington said K9 Max is just one of the dogs part of the program who has made a tremendous impact.

“Everyone has really found a friend in Max. And not only just within the fire department, but all of our town departments … [First responders] see death, they see pediatric injuries, and it’s not always an easy thing to do anymore. It’s more prevalent—the threats against public safety in general,” Whittington said.

That’s a familiar feeling for the department’s Critical Incident Strss Management Team.

“I think our therapy dogs in the fire house after a serious call—and some of the more serious ones we’ve had—having Max available for defusing beats any kind of thing we can do as part of the team,” said Firefighter/Paramedic and team leader Kim Tull.

Canine College

It’s success stories like those that Nikki Charles, Executive Director of Hero Dogs, says makes the canines’ and intensive training worth it.

“The training is all done internally at Hero Dogs. We use volunteers in the community—we call them puppy raisers—to host the dogs for the first 16 to 18 months of their lives,” Charles said.

The training ranges from basic obedience commands to socializing in different envirements, to advanced skills taught in so-called “canine college.”

“Just like people, not everyone is well-suited to the same job. So, we are trying to make sure we get those dogs into the best possible environment so they can do the best work they can … We have dogs at police departments, fire departments, hospitals, victims services organizations, a lot of therapists, mental health practices. And that opens the door for them to have a wide range of impacts across various communities,” Charles said.

Lighting Up Children’s Lives

Take K9 Belle at the Worcester County Child Advocacy Center, for example.

“We are working with all of our familie swho are coming through the door who are, unfortunately, facing allegations of abuse or neglect. Typically, the families are coming in for forensic interviews. During that time, we’re working with families to get them linked up with different resources, such as trauma therapy, mental health resources,” said Jessica Burke, Family Advocate at the center, and Belle’s handler.

Just like Max, Belle knows how to light up a room.

“It makes it a little easier to talk about the challenges that are currently facing our families … She just sort of breaks the ice, and provides that sense of comfort to everybody in the room that you can’t help but feel,” Burke said.

Belle is often one of the first faces you will see at the door of the center. She can also frequently be seen parading around with children as they grab snacks and drinks. Perhaps more importantly, Belle is trained to read stress responses and provide comfort.

“It really didn’t take long for her to pick up on our every day routine. She just kind of somehow inherently knows what I need her to do,” Burke said.

Max is also skilled for his respective work.

“Max can stop, drop, and roll. The kids love that. We even teach Max to crawl low, so that we’re telling kids that if their house catches on fire they want to crawl low to the door and go to the fire department meeting place … Max has become acclimated with the sirens, the tones, where he should be, where he shouldn’t be. It’s a lot of [Hero Dogs’] training,” Whittington said.

Man’s Best Friend

Plus, Max and Belle get to go home with their handlers. For Max, that entails a life with goats, and Whittington’s other dog, Samson the Golden Doodle. Burke gushed over her relationship with Belle.

“She’s a wonderful joy to bring home and bring with me to work every day. I almost spend more time with her than I do my own family, but she’s a wonderful asset for our entire team, because we’re all working with really challenging things,” Burke said.

And those relationships are built to remain strong for a lifetime, according to Charles.

“We have the ability to stay in touch, go visit, to teach additional skills if they’re needed across various programs … A partnership with a working dog typically is around ten years, and we want to make sure those partnerships work as intended as long as they possibly can,” Charles said.

Hero Dogs

The organization primarily revolves around serving vetereans and first responders. But looking ahead, Charles said Hero Dogs intends to keep expanding its mission. And, it all runs on volunteers and donations.

“We want to continue to grow. We want to continue placing dogs in environments where they can help, not only disabled veterans and first responders, but our communities at large,” Charles said.