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Therapy K9 joins Erie County Sheriff's Office

Posted at 2:26 PM, Feb 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-22 14:26:12-05

The Erie County Sheriff's Office is adding a Therapy K9 to the growing unit.

Loki is a 15-month-old Chocolate Lab owned by Deputy Gordon. They will be attending the Law Enforcement and Multi-discipline Crime Against Children Investigative Therapy Dog Course in Cocoa, Florida at the end of February.

The Loki and Deputy Gordon will take part in several training topics including basic and advanced obedience techniques, behavioral observation training, vehicle ops, investigative interview techniques, as well as learn best practices from other therapy K9 programs.

The sheriff's office also plans to deploy Deputy Gorgon and Loki to school violence incidents, fatal accidents and other traumatic events where the team can bring comfort to victims and first responders.

"When Deputy Gordon presented the idea," Sheriff Howard explains.  "I was immediately on board with adding a Therapy K9 to the unit.  There have been many incidents where a therapy dog, with its unconditional love and acceptance, could have been valuable to victims, family members, and to first responders at traumatic events.  There aren't many things more comforting than the warm welcome and a big kiss from a dog during stressful times, and hopefully, Deputy Gordon and Loki can bring comfort to people involved in a horrible incident."

The Erie County Sheriff's Office believes Loki will be the first certified law enforcement therapy canine in New York.

"When Deputy Gordon presented the idea," Sheriff Howard explains. "I was immediately on board with adding a Therapy K9 to the unit. There have been many incidents where a therapy dog, with its unconditional love and acceptance, could have been valuable to victims, family members, and to first responders at traumatic events. There aren't many things more comforting than the warm welcome and a big kiss from a dog during stressful times, and hopefully, Deputy Gordon and Loki can bring comfort to people involved in a horrible incident."