Photo: Jared Brosnan/WBZ NewsRadio
HAVERHILL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — On Tuesday, the Essex County Sheriff’s Department hosted a Comfort Dog Convention at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, as a way of using comfort canines to help de-escalate the chaotic environments that officers respond to as part of their everyday jobs. WBZ NewsRadio checked out the convention to learn more.
Gloucester Police Officer Peter Sutera explains that the comfort dogs are used and appreciated by students in schools.
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“It’s hard to even explain how much the kids use him every day,” Sutera said, referring to Ace, his dog who the kids have gotten to know well. He also said that the need for comfort dogs in the school setting is only growing,
“We’re stationed at the middle school, we [also] do visits at the elementary school,” he added.
Sutera and Ace are always trying to help kids who need that calming presence at the times they need it most of all.
“I’d say honestly every day, multiple times a day [Ace] is affecting kids' lives in some way, shape or form whether it’s de-escalating a situation or putting a smile on their face,” Sutera added.
Once the canines complete the necessary training to become “comfort canines”, they will undergo obedience training in the Fall.
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