First responders face traumatic calls. These therapy dogs in central Pa. are here to help.

Meet Mickey.

He's a German Shorthaired Pointer with a Mickey Mouse emblem on his hindside. He likes to chase balls and play.

Mickey also has a job to do. He and his owner, Lynn Browne, recently completed training through the First Responder Therapy Dogs organization based in San Rafael, California, and he is now available to help police, firefighters, dispatchers and others if they need emotional support after a difficult emergency call.

He has met with firefighters at the Citizens Volunteer Fire Company in Fawn Grove, where Browne and her husband help with traffic control. But Mickey is available to go elsewhere for service, too.

"He's a great listener, and he doesn't tell a soul anything," Browne said recently at the fire station. "So you can tell him your deepest thoughts, and he'll keep it all to himself."

Two therapy dog teams are in south-central Pennsylvania

Mickey is one of two dogs in Pennsylvania that are part of the First Responder Therapy Dogs organization.

The other is Cali, a Catahoula Leopard Dog owned by Celena Welty in Mount Joy Township, Adams County. Welty takes Cali to work with her at the Carroll County Sheriff's Office in Maryland. She will be training her other dog, Rip, to become a therapy dog as well.

Cali, who turns 5 years old this month, is a cool and mellow dog that loves people, Welty said. She can pick up on the feelings of others and has helped with debriefings after stressful calls.

Welty recalled one day when Cali put her paws up on the shoulders of the warden and gave him a hug. Are you having a bad day, Welty asked the warden. Yep, he responded.

"Hopefully, it makes your day better," she told him.

Welty said she wanted to give back to the community, and that's why she became involved in the organization. She and Cali have been to the Littlestown carnival a couple of times and recently participated in the PTSD Ride by EMS Angels in Bucks County. Part of the proceeds went to the First Responder Therapy Dog organization.

"It makes my heart happy when my dog can put smiles on their faces," she said.

Nonprofit started with fires in California

The First Responder Therapy Dogs organization started during the 2020 fire season in California when Heidi Carman and her dog, Kerith, a golden retriever, started visiting first responders and firebase camps. Carman said she saw the need for therapy dogs to support emergency responders.

The organization started in California but has quickly grown to 28 states with 132 therapy dog teams, she said. Carman and her dog gained national media attention when they began visiting emergency responders, and nowadays people find out about the nonprofit through word of mouth as well as social media.

Carman's goal is to have every single first responder in the country have the opportunity to benefit from one of the therapy dogs so the organization needs many teams. A third team in Pennsylvania is working to be certified.

Any breed of dog can serve as a therapy dog, Carman said. The dogs must pass the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test, which is done by a trainer in person. They must have good obedience, not get distracted by things and be OK around other canines.

The dogs also must pass a behavioral assessment where they are exposed to fire engines with flashing lights, sirens, and other emergency responses to make sure they are comfortable and will not react, Carman said.

A veterinarian must sign off that the dog is healthy and able to do the work.

The handlers must undergo a background check and complete online courses, she said. It helps to educate them about what they will be exposed to in traumatic situations and how they can care for themselves.

After a team becomes certified, the handler reaches out to emergency responder organizations in their community to offer their support. First Responder Therapy Dogs also helps to make connections.

First responders can pet the dogs to help lower their stress. The beauty of it is that they don't have to say anything to the dogs, Carman said.

"There's just so much conversation going on between that dog and the first responder without any words. It's just so healing and therapeutic, which is why it works because this population doesn't really like to talk about their feelings generally," she said.

Mickey is available to help emergency responders deal with trauma

Browne and Mickey recently became certified and they are now looking to serve their community.

"We're just kind of waiting for whoever needs support," Browne said.

She can be contacted at rangerbeauty@yahoo.com, or emergency responders can contact First Responder Therapy Dogs to be connected with her.

Browne knows how intense calls can be. She and her husband recently helped with traffic control on a serious crash in southeastern York County.

"When we go home we have Mickey," she said. "Mickey's a blessing for my husband and myself. ..."

Browne said she recently told firefighters that if they don't want to talk with her, they can hold Mickey while she walks away for five or 10 minutes. Then, she'll come back to see how they are doing.

"Who could resist Mickey?" she asked. "He's so fine."

How to volunteer with First Responder Therapy Dogs

If you are interested in having a dog certified as a therapy dog or you are interested in supporting the nonprofit organization, visit firstrespondertherapydogs.org.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Mickey, part of First Responder Therapy Dogs, will serve York County