St. Joseph County Central Dispatch office getting emotional-support dog
CENTREVILLE – St. Joseph County Central Dispatch will soon have its own advocate dog.
During their monthly meeting Tuesday, St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners approved a request from agency director Stacey Bower. The emotional-support dog will live at central dispatch and be cared for by its staff.
Bower said she had occasion last month to bring the county’s veterans’ support dog to Central Dispatch for a visit. The impact, Bower said, was a shock.
“When I brought that dog in, (staff) didn’t know she was coming and she totally changed the atmosphere,” Bower said, during last week’s executive committee meeting. “It got me thinking … maybe we should try this tool to help us out with (stress and mental-health management).”
Bower said she looked further into the matter and the decision was clinched after St. Joseph County United Way agreed to donate $6,500 toward purchase and preliminary care of the dog.
The dog will arrive to the Centreville-based agency next week. Bower said the dog is a 2-year-old, standard poodle that had previously been in training as a veterans’ service dog. He is currently completing temperament training through a company called Magnum K9.
Bower said a poodle breed was intentionally chosen due to its low allergen levels.
She said the dog will serve as a good PR tool for the agency.
“He will go out and has been to schools and other community events, and will be helping represent Central Dispatch and teaching 911 to kids and other people,” Bower said Tuesday. She added that staff will also receive training for a few weeks to help with the transition for both sides.
According to the agreement, Central Dispatch employees will be responsible for all expenses related to care of the dog. It will live at Central Dispatch, as the facility is a four-shift, 24/7 center.
Bower said she will bring the dog to the commission’s June 20 meeting. In addition, Bower plans to stage a public event at Central Dispatch in coming weeks, affording the agency an opportunity to acknowledge the United Way for its role in securing the dog.
In other action Tuesday, St. Joseph County Undersheriff Jason Bingaman said the department is staging a grand opening to celebrate its new training center.
The fanfare takes place 2 to 5 p.m. May 24 at the facility, located behind the county’s former Parks and Recreation Department on East Main Street.
By having a modern and spacious training center, the sheriff’s department is able to conduct training exercises in-house rather than send deputies to far-away places, and incur the expense of travel and hotel costs, Bingaman said.
Bingaman said the occasion will also be marked by the agency’s “Officer of the Year” announcement. That portion of the event will occur around 2:30 p.m.
Also Tuesday, five appointments to two boards were made by St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners.
Commissioners OK’d the appointments of Steven Houts and Jeffrey Knautz to the county’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Meanwhile, Jessica Eyster, Jared Hoffmaster and Alan Ives were appointed to the Workforce Development Board.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: St. Joseph County Central Dispatch getting emotional-support dog
