Duke on a Mission: Bringing Comfort, Helping People

Where do you find comfort? Is it in a trusted family member or friend, at the bottom of a quart of ice-cream, during a sweaty physical workout, or perhaps after a good cry? When I was a toddler my mother gave me ‘red blankie.’ I carried that thing everywhere, giving me comfort. My anxious rescue dog takes her choice of stuffed animals with her when we venture into the world. Whether it’s a pink primate we named Creepy Monkey or a small white cat appropriately called Kitty Kitty, she’s comforted with her little buddy. 

For dog lovers, we know the value of having a cherished companion in our lives. With a wagging tail and soulful eyes, they are always happy to be with us. Never judgmental, always endearing. The bond created is much like that of child and parent. Simply being near a friendly dog brings solace. When the possibility of pioneering a comfort dog program in the Williston Police Department arose, Officer Matthew Cohen, a ten-year department veteran, was intrigued. When Williston Police Chief Patrick Foley gave the green light for the program, the search for the perfect candidate began. 

The functions of a comfort dog are to provide interaction during situations involving children and adults impacted by violence, tragedy or traumatic events and to reduce anxiety and increase communication between the victim/witness and investigators.

The pursuit would conclude in May 2020 when Officer Cohen drove to the highly-regarded Boonefield Labradors in Rindge, New Hampshire to welcome an eight-week-old fluff ball called Green Puppy. Known for their charity and quality of English Labradors, owners Peggi and David Brogan have gifted several puppies to law enforcement agencies. Duke was number eleven.

Upon arrival in his new home and thanks to the students in Williston schools, Green Puppy will now be forever known as Duke. A year later, I met with team to find out what this pup’s first year has been like, the triumphs and challenges.

We greeted at the gazebo in front of Williston Central School, where Duke has been a regular guest. On this sunlit day, Duke was wearing his official neon green and black dog-in-training vest along with a shiny gold badge affixed to his collar. Gone was the furry puppy. In his place, a mature, blocky-headed handsome canine. Duke busied himself with chewing sticks and tree bark pieces while trotting from person to person. Photographer, Kelly Hinds, made duck sounds to get his attention and snapped photos—lots of photos. 

Despite restrictions due to the pandemic, the past year has been productive. The team has been in attendance with regular training sessions at Thin Blue Line K9 under the supervision of owner, Tom Radford. First came basic puppy obedience, then agility activities to build confidence and finally exposure training intended to confront any fears. “We have a very confident, young dog here,” comments Officer Cohen. 

Along with his current recognition of AKC Canine Good Citizen, another goal for Duke is to receive certification in therapy dog work. Potential therapy dogs are screened, evaluated and trained in order to attain certification. Deb Helfrich at Gold Star Dog Training has been preparing the team with lessons in developing new skills needed for his designation.

Duke will be asked to show his skills in obedience and basic commands, conduct impulse control with other dogs and control his tendency to be overly excited when people approach him. The Golden Rule: four feet on the floor. Boonefield Labradors is an affiliated partner with Alliance of Therapy Dogs, an international registry of certified therapy dog teams. Officer Cohen and Duke may travel to Duke’s birthplace for their testing. 

Duke’s primary job is to be himself and in doing so bring smiles and help relieve stress in upsetting situations. The comfort dog is a valuable tool in fostering dialog and communications between the police department and the community. Duke’s first mission was to visit the Vermont National Guard and Vermont Food Bank while the staff were issuing ready-to-eat meals to the public. He’s helped children feel loved after their parent was arrested, soothed the nerves of crash victims, consoled first responders after the loss of one of their own and help relieve tensions of students and staff as they returned to school in the fall of 2020. “Just for a few minutes of taking someone’s mind off what just happened/what they just witnessed is important. Sometimes he acts like a goofy Lab, other times he’s stoic and calm and just there. It’s very interesting as his handler to watch,” explains Officer Cohen.

Being the first law enforcement agency in Vermont to offer a comfort dog program is uncharted territory. Officer Cohen keeps expert records on Duke’s accomplishments and training. The first year of service was active with 117 total deployments (29 school visits, 68 community engagements, 20 emergency responses). 

A noteworthy case involved Duke rendering comfort on the side of a road. After a driving-under-the-influence (DUI) stop where a parent was arrested, Duke stayed with the two children who were passengers in the car. Duke remained with the children roadside until the other parent arrived. Upon follow-up by the Vermont Department of Children and Families, the children recall interacting with Duke, not the arrest of the parent.“ You can’t put a number on how much that interaction helped those kids though that process. What could have been a traumatic event with a parent being arrested became a positive interaction with a dog,” said Officer Cohen. 

The word predictable doesn’t belong when referring to police work. The same can be said for Duke’s daily schedule. He and Officer Cohen find themselves in a variety of locations. Duke was utilized with staff and students at Williston Central School after the untimely death of a student. The team continued on-going support for three days. They have visited vaccination clinics, the emergency department at the University of Vermont, numerous classrooms, first responder meetings and homes to provide support to both adults and children during time of grief. “This is a one-to-one, we know good things are happening,” said Officer Cohen.

The team sees a lot of positivity and immediate gratification. Victims or witnesses leave the experience feeling better than when the arrived. “Most of policing is negative reinforcement. You do something bad, you get a consequence. This is positive reinforcement. Police show up, Duke and I interact with someone, and they leave feeling happier.”

“From an officers' perspective, if I write a speeding ticket, maybe you slow down the next time you drive a car. If I pull over someone who is DUI prior to them crashing, maybe I save someone’s life. As an officer you don’t see or know if you have helped someone or saved a life because you intervened. You don’t see the life of a child that you saved after they ran into the street and the car was able to stop in time because they were driving slower after receiving a ticket.”

“You do not see the grandparents who were not victims of a DUI crash driving home from dinner because you stopped the DUI driver and got them off the road that night. You go through this career hoping, but never knowing that your actions are helping someone even though that might be by sending a consequence to someone else.”

“With Duke, we show up, I immediately know we’re helping. His program is that positive interaction police need especially within our communities and how much strife has been happening in general––in policing, politics, in our lives. It’s great to come into a situation that is truly just positive. We’re here, we’re going to help, making people happy and that is a great feeling as an officer. You can see it in peoples’ faces. He does help,” said Officer Cohen. 

The program is fully funded through donations with no cost to the town or tax payers of Williston. Along with complementary training from Thin Blue Line K9, Guy’s Farm & Yard is donating a lifetime of food, Mountain View Animal Hospital provides medical care at a discounted rate and Community Bank has been extremely gracious in their donations. For Duke’s first birthday, Officer Cohen streamed the party live. With a seemingly endless pile of toys and treats, it was obvious Duke had reached celebrity status. It was at the end of the party that Chief Patrick Foley awarded Duke his badge. 

Officer Cohen comments, “This program is what some agencies see as a luxury. Others, like ours, see it as a need. There is a need to get to that crisis response. There is a need to get to first responders after they’ve witness a fatal car crash to help them work though it. There’s that need. There are a lot of unseen benefits.”

Other police departments have reached out to Officer Cohen in collecting information on the comfort dog concept. Will see see more programs like this in law enforcement? I hope so. Duke’s visits to vulnerable individuals provide calm in a time of chaos. In classrooms to kitchens, the benefits are undeniable. At the end of each shift, Duke rides home with Officer Coehn to transition from work to home time. Finding ‘his person,’ Officer Cohen’s four-year-old daughter, his leisure time is spent acting as her shadow and playmate. Big brother Cooper provides canine interaction while Duke decompresses into domestic dog bliss. 

Duke and Officer Cohen have gently interwoven themselves into the heart of this community. Duke may be the top ticket performer, but Officer Cohen is the manager. The first comfort dog program in Vermont has been an astounding success.

Beyond the therapeutic benefits that come with floppy ears and puppy kisses, the positive impacts are far lasting. I still have my red blankie now with more holes and tatters than blanket. As a toddler no more, I sometimes still wrap myself in it on difficult days. For times calling for more than a cotton blanket, Duke will be there. One dog can not save rid the world from tragedy. He can not undo a terrible circumstance. Duke can offer the best of himself with his gentle nature, his sweet disposition––gifts that will stay with the recipient long after Duke has left to begin his next comfort mission. 

Contact Officer Matthew Cohen: [email protected]

Visit Duke on Facebook: www.facebook.com/k9dukevt

Follow Duke on Instagram: www.instagram.com/k9dukevt

Visit Duke on-line: www.willistonpdvt.org

Visit Kelly Hinds Photography: facebook.com/photography-by-kelly-hinds and www.photographybykellyhinds.org