Therapy dogs help Broward County first responders and community – NBC 6 South Florida

A new program in Broward County is using therapy dogs to respond to traumatic scenes, helping not only affected community members but also the mental health of first responders.

“Previously, there was no way in Broward to contact therapy dogs when needed, such as during critical incidents at police departments or fire stations,” said Officer Dana Doklean of the Hollywood Police Department.

The Broward First Responders Support Dogs include 15 dogs. Their job is to provide much-needed emotional support, whether visiting schools in the community, assisting with hurricane relief efforts, or at critical locations.

“So I take her to school. We do reading programs and interact with children with learning disabilities,” said Firefighter Tim Abramczyk of the Florida Forest Service.

Last year, K-9 Mango responded after a Broward Sheriff’s Office helicopter crashed in Pompano Beach, killing a fire captain and a woman in their home.

“The impact he had on just the family at the hospital, some of the firefighters, some of the staff and friends who knew.” [the victim] … was huge,” said Officer Megan Santana of the Sunrise Police Department.

The hope is to highlight the importance of mental health among first responders.

“Often first responders are dealing with PTSD on multiple levels, and when these dogs come out, it’s often just a five-minute break for the first responder to be able to pet the dog.” “I was able to calm down a little bit,” Doklean said.

Since many face trauma daily at work, the group hopes to make a difference in the healing of their colleagues.

“Even if they’re not talking to us, they’ll kind of interact with the dog and … for a few seconds, it just takes away some of their fear, some of the emotion that they’re feeling,” Santana said.

They are hosting a fundraiser to raise money for training and equipment for the K-9s on Saturday, October 19th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Barkyard n’ Brews at 817 NW 1st Street in Fort Lauderdale.