Dallas Police have a Wellness Unit to combat high rates of divorce and suicide among public responders.
Part of that unit is a canine named Aussie, a retired Australian racing Greyhound.
Strapped in his special vest, the 5-year-old Aussie becomes an official Dallas Police Therapy Dog.
He goes behind closed doors to places like the homicide unit, and NBC 5 was authorized to go along on a recent visit, where detectives can get burdened by all the trauma they face.
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“Yes, emotionally it does. You are with someone at their worst day of their lives in that moment. So, to have that conversation with someone at that time can be challenging,” Sergeant Jessica Montgomery-Criddle said.
So Aussie and his Officer Joe King were welcome visitors on a recent stop in the homicide office.
They’re part of the wellness unit, which reaches out to officers like the hardened homicide detectives, to check on their wellness.
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King said the therapy dog softens his sensitive work with people who sometimes take trauma home.
“There’s no secret in the first responder world, the divorce rate is very high because that’s ripple effect of an officer not dealing with trauma properly,” King said.
The 27-year veteran officer said the wellness unit also exists because police are three times more likely to die from suicide than a suspect.
The unit with a Lieutenant, a Sergeant and 5 officers was carved from a little used corner of Dallas Police Headquarters to provide help in strict confidence.
“It’s been a stigma against going to counseling since the beginning of policing honestly because we have to soldier, we have to bury the emotions because the next call is always waiting on us,” King said.
Those who don’t know Greyhounds might think the racers would be jumpy. King said Aussie likes his rest and has the perfect calm to serve his therapy duty.
Of 29 races in Australia, King said Aussie won only once.
“I think he’s served more people in the short amount of time he’s been with Dallas PD than he did racing,” said King.
The officer takes Aussie home with him each night to provide care for the dog who helps people.
