Meet the Nashville police therapy dog who helps schools tackle mental health

With his smooth black coat, white soul patch goatee and mohawk, Sgt. Bo waited patiently for the students to arrive with his head tucked between his paws on the floor of Nashville's Dodson Elementary School.

At nearly 3 years old, the dog has the look of a grizzled police veteran down pat, his dark coat highlighted with white and light tan strips, but get him around some kids, and it's a different story.

Sgt. Bo works for the Metro Nashville Police Department as a therapy dog, visiting the city's public schools and offering students and staff a caring shoulder to lean — or sometimes cry — on. He's one of the most valuable tools the department has when it comes to tackling the ongoing mental health crisis, officials said.

Tennessee ranks 41st in the country for mental health issues, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit that promotes mental health and illness prevention.

COVID-19 was especially challenging for young people, ages 12-17, with 16.39% of those experiencing a major depressive episode, the nonprofit reports, noting that Tennessee's percentage is slightly higher at 17.32%, according to a 2023 study.

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from 2014-2018 showed that one in six students have enough behavioral or emotional mental disorders to be diagnosed with a childhood mental disorder. Among the conditions most cited for children are anxiety, depression, Tourette’s Syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and oppositional defiance disorder.

A '100% good boy'

It's Bo's job to work against these trends.

During his recent visit at Dodson Elementary, the kids were smiling, extending their hands and giggling as they entered the halls to find the dog waiting. Sgt. Bo, clad in a Metro Police vest that read 100% good boy, stood up has they asked about his white mohawk.

For many, the dog was the first thing they saw as they came to school, but the biggest smile in the hallway probably belonged to Faye Okert, who has been working with Sgt. Bo since December 2022.

The two started patrolling the halls of MNPS buildings together in January 2023.

'Another tool in the toolbox': Middle Tennessee district has therapy dogs in all schools

"He does so much more than us with two legs could ever do," Okert said, noting that the canine officer is a great listener and has seen a meteoric rise in popularity at a school district in need of a pick-me-up.

Sgt. Bo's impact has not gone unnoticed. With more than 200 school visits under his belt, Bo has attained a therapy excellence certification from the American Kennel Club. When he reaches 600 visits, he will attain the AKC's top therapy title of supreme.

And he was recently named First Responder Paws Therapy Top Dog by FHE Health, a mental health and addiction facility in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

"It's the best thing as a police officer," Okert said of the award. "I almost didn't turn him in. I didn't think he had a chance of winning. There were dogs from different states that had been working for years."

More: Dogs at every school? TN district believes ‘we all need a little therapy'

Bo had been on the job for less than a year when he won the award in December.

When she found out about the win, Okert teared up, recalling the series of fateful decisions that led to her pairing with Sgt. Bo. It was the best decision she's made in her 34 years of policing, she said.

Big things have small beginnings

What makes Sgt. Bo such a good boy?

"He's not judgmental," Okert said. "It doesn't matter where you came from. It doesn't matter your background. I have never seen him not like anybody."

That includes at home, where Sgt. Bo lives with Okert and her two other dogs.

And even though most of Okert's phone photo storage belongs to Sgt. Bo, the family gets along well once the officers go home and take off their police vests. That's because Sgt. Bo's path to Nashville started from meager beginnings, unlike most therapy dogs who are bred for the job.

Just two years ago, Sgt. Bo went by the name Chopper, and he was a stray dog found walking the streets of Brevard County, Fla.

Fate brought Okert to Sgt. Bo.

From patrol to detective to sex crimes, Okert has worked in various roles within the Nashville police department. For the past 17 years, she's been a school resource officer, connecting with thousands of students and seeing to the evolving needs of children.

But Okert said she was ready for change, a slow down in her career, and she was close to leaving the department for another job when something inside told her to keep going.

An unlikely duo

In April 2022, Okert heard about a new program in Florida, Paws and Stripes College, that took in dogs like Sgt. Bo and gave them second chances by training them as therapy dogs with the help of Brevard County Jail inmates. If a dog showed the right temperament and aptitude, they would finish training at Paws and Stripes College.

Okert decided to try it, but when saw a photo of Sgt. Bo, her first thought was, "I'm not taking that dog. He's ugly."

She traveled to Florida, intent on asking if she could have a different dog, but after watching Sgt. Bo train and then meeting him later that day, she immediately knew she found her new partner.

"In my mind, I had a picture of a lab or something like that," Okert said. "I judged him, and he's making me pay for that. And I tell these kids, don't judge a book by its cover, because you're going to miss out on something great. I almost missed out on something great."

Most therapy dogs are a certain bred, like a Labrador or Goldendoodle, but Sgt. Bo is a classic mutt, with a splash of several breeds, including pit bull.

One of the first official orders of business for the new partners was a name change, Okert said, adding that she thought of Sgt. Bo as a way to honor former Nashville officer Emerson "Bo" Boguskie, a 37-year-old veteran officer who died in 2022. The Boguskie family lived across the street from Okert's best friend.

Instantly, Okert decided against slowing down.

"I will be here as long as Sgt. Bo is," Okert said. The two are in MNPS buildings five days per week, helping students cope with their emotions and learn to read. There are 10 district schools the pair regularly frequents.

Caring for Covenant

After a rough start as a stray on the streets, Bo had an even tougher start to his new job as a therapy dog. He was barely two months in when a gunman entered the Covenant School in Nashville on March 27 and shot three children and three adults.

Bo and Okert were called in to help dozens of students and staff coping with tragedy in real time.

Okert remembers driving Bo to the school, not knowing how he would handle the rush of students and adults seeking consolation. Though he had never been on a full school bus before, Okert said Sgt. Bo handled the situation with ease, and he helped give Covenant students and staff the comfort they needed.

The pair has continued their visits to Covenant in the months since. They travel there once a week to offer ongoing support to a community that's still grieving.

A loving helper for adults

Deanna Noonan, a kindergarten teacher at Dodson Elementary, said the dog is just as important for the staff as he is for students. Noonan, herself, has leaned on Sgt. Bo for comfort, and now the two have a special bond, she said.

"He has really become an outlet for me," Noonan said. "And I'm obsessed with dogs in the first place, but he's something special. He has this, like, genuine personality," Noonan said.

When Sgt. Bo recently stopped by Noonan's room for a visit, his excitement was evident. He jumped on Noonan with his paws draped over her shoulders and gave her a few kisses in greeting. Noonan had been struggling with some prior students who were aggressive and lashed out physically before Bo walked into her life.

"I didn't even think about the few months left at the end of the year, (it was) just making it day-to-day," Noonan said. "I saw Bo come in, I mean, it was an escape for me ... everything shifted."

Sgt. Bo was recently gathered around Noonan's classroom as her students started their day in a reading circle. She said she immediately notices a change in her students when Sgt. Bo trots in.

Principal Tiffany Curtis has noticed the same thing, she said. She even shares an office with the pup, with a water dish under a table and a bin full of treats at the ready.

While many children might dread reading, Dodson students are ready and eager, hoping to redeem "Bo Bucks" they can use for private reading sessions with the therapy dog. Part of the fun involves reading a book about Sgt. Bo and officer O, as Okert is affectionately known, as they tackle every day situations.

Okert found a website to create the book, "Sgt. Bo and Officer O."

Noonan said the dog has brought joy to her school. He gives the children a shoulder to cry on when they need it, a companion they can pet when things are difficult at home and he's often a math and reading partner.

"Some people are afraid of dogs and ... have really gotten that out of their system," Noonan said.

Some of the students believe they're teaching Bo math or reading as they work with him on their flash cards, but the reality is, they're the ones learning, Okert said.

One student in Noonan's class had trouble with impulse control until Sgt. Bo came along. The dog helped the student learn how to properly pet a dog while controlling behavior.

"He is something special," Noonan said of Bo.

During Sgt. Bo's first school year, Okert noticed that one of the teachers seemed to be struggling with sadness. When she brought Sgt. Bo to see the teacher, Okert found out that the teacher's spouse was going through a deadly health issue.

"I knew she was sad, didn't know why. He opened up that conversation," Okert said.

There are two other dogs who work in Metro Schools, but Okert said she would love to see the district put dogs in as many schools as possible to help children and adults struggling with the stresses of school and life.

But therapy dogs can be expensive, costing around $15,000. She feels the price tag is worth it when weighed against the benefits.

"I just want to see it grow," Okert said.

Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How a Nashville therapy dog became a lifeline for school mental health