Luna, the Massachusetts State Police comfort dog, with her handler, Trooper Chad Tata. (Massachusetts State Police)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts State Police are showing off their newest member—their first-ever comfort dog, Luna.
Only four months old, Luna, a black English Labrador, was donated to the department.
When she's fully trained, she'll help law enforcement and victims deal with stresses we can't imagine, her handler, Trooper Chad Tata, told WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal.
"It puts a calming effect on your brain, so that's why more and more departments, and like hospitals, nursing homes, they're all using comfort dogs," said Tata, who has a Masters Degree in social work.
Luna already responded to her first call-out last week, when an officer was shot outside a Springfield nightclub. That officer will recover.
WBZ NewsRadio's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports