PROGRAMS PTSD SEIZURES DEAFNESS FIRST RESPONDERS
We train dogs to help first responders (usually police, firefighters, and EMTs) in several different ways:
Therapy dog: Unlike a service dog, which helps one person with a disability, a therapy dog helps many people. When working with a first responder, a therapy dog might work with victims and their families to help them cope with trauma after an emergency. First responders have found that a therapy dog can change the mood in a room, helping everyone feel calmer and more supportive of each other. Studies show that these dogs are effective at “establishing connections, supporting adaptive coping, enhancing emotional and physical comfort, and providing practical assistance”.*
Facility Dog (a type of therapy dog): While you may see a therapy dog working at a hospital one day and a library the next day, a facility dog is based at a specific location, such as a police station a firehouse. The dog lives in the home of one of the first responders, who brings them to work regularly. The facility dog helps in two main ways: supporting the community and, uniquely, also helping first responders manage their job stress. For the first responders, the facility dog can a source of regular support. First responders often face incredibly stressful situations, and while they can go home to deal with these situations through exercise, or mediation, or other techniques, if a facility dog is at their work, they can get immediate comfort and relief from stress. Studies have found that a facility dog helps reduce anxiety, improves their overall well-being, increases job performance, and reduces burnout**. The first responders can stay healthy and focused on their work. In police stations, for instance, while employee assistance programs are the usual mechanism for police agencies to address officer mental health, many police officers are reluctant to use them because of the mental health stigma. Studies have found that a facility dog, however, can be empowering to first responders because they can immediately reduce their tension without stigma.*** As a bonus, officers perceive support professionally trained dogs as an extension of “good will” from the police organization.
Emotional support dog: When a first responder has a lot of stress at work, it can be incredibly helpful to come home to a dog that is specially trained to help. The first responder isn’t disabled, but still experiences so much trauma on the job that they need a way to comforted (one that doesn’t place undue burdens on family members). When a first responder experiences trauma over and over again, what they are experiencing may not rise to the level of a disability, and some ways of keeping trauma from getting too bad (coping with it) is by using meditation, exercise, and yes, working with their emotional support dog, who can handle the feelings that come with their owner’s extreme stress.
Note: When a former first responder has a service dog to help with their PTSD, it is usually for a type of PTSD called “complex” PTSD. This kind of PTSD comes from experiencing multiple traumatic events, rather than just one.
* Moncur, Janus M. First Responders, Therapy K9s, and Social Work" What Are the Lived Experiences of First Responders Working with Therapy K9s and Their View of Social Work and Therapy?. Barry University, 2023.
** Jensen, Clare L., et al. "The effects of facility dogs on burnout, job‐related well‐being, and mental health in paediatric hospital professionals." Journal of clinical nursing 30.9-10 (2021): 1429-1441.
*** Quick, Kenneth M. "Chipping the Blue Wall: The Effect of Dogs on Police Officer Receptivity to an Employee Assistance Program." (2024).