BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – The Bellevue Police Department has a new “paw-fucker” in training.
His name is Mo, a two month old Goldendoodle and a future certified therapy dog.
“He will have many important roles here,” said his supervisor, Officer Ashley Meyers.
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Meyers named him after her friend and former colleague, Colorado State Trooper Will Moden.
“He was killed two years ago when he was hit by a vehicle investigating an accident. I called his wife and asked if it would be okay to name little Mo after Will, ”said Meyers.
Meyers said Mo’s presence helped raise morale in the department.
“To be honest, all we can do is take a deep breath and play with a puppy. So we’re really focusing on our mental health and wellbeing here, ”added Meyers.
Once Mo finishes training he will be a busy boy.
“We’ll be doing a lot of community events. We plan to use him for interviews with victims so that they can feel comfortable, pet a dog and tell their side of the story, ”said Meyers.
Mo’s trainer Russell Dillon said Mo was well on his way to becoming certified – a process that typically takes two to four months.
“It tightens up with Mo because he’s so relaxed and peaceful. And because he already spends most of his day working around and having distractions, ”said Dillon.
Dillon added that Mo could help improve relations between the community and the police.
“Maybe people don’t trust the police or whatever. Having a dog there and then having that communication where they petting the dog just bridges that gap, ”said Dillon.
Meyers hopes therapy dogs will become commonplace in police stations across the country.
“Knowing that the public loves him, the officials love him … I think this will hopefully be a very popular trend,” Meyers said.
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