Two new pups just doubled Bristol County's comfort dog roster. But that's not all.

DARTMOUTH — It was a lively scene in Dartmouth outside of the Bristol County House of Correction, with K9 handlers from police departments all over the region, sheriff's department staff, journalists and many other invited guests all roving about the fenced-in dog training facility, where they'd gathered for a special announcement.

But through it all, a quiet bonding process was taking place.

"I'm just meeting him for the first time today," said Deputy Shanna Sears-Oatley, eyes fixed on the golden-brown puppy cradled in her arms. She and Hero — a 10-week-old male lab-type mix — will soon be spending a lot of time together once Hero finishes his initial comfort dog training and becomes Sears-Oatley's work partner and family member.

"I've always loved dogs. I have one of my own — he's a pointer, he's 13 and his name is Bubba," she said. "So Bubba's gonna meet his little brother soon."

Likewise, as Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson and other speakers addressed the crowd, Deputy Chris Vaz was getting to know Jack, another lab mix, just over a year old. For Vaz, who's been with the sheriff's department over 12 years, the Sept. 29 events fulfilled a wish he'd had since Day 1.

"Working with K9s is something deep down in my heart that I've always wanted to do since I drove down that access road and saw all the K9s training here," Vaz said after the speakers finished, holding the lead of Jack as the near-fully-grown white dog calmly but intently sniffed around. "This is my first time meeting Jack but I can already tell we're going to be great partners."

Strength in numbers

Hero and Jack are Bristol County's newest comfort dogs, adding to the ever-growing roster of dogs in the area that are trained to make people feel better, all partnered under the newly announced Bristol County Comfort Dog Coalition.

"Our coalition that we began in Bristol County is up to 38 comfort dogs. We are now told that the running number is 68 across the commonwealth," Hodgson said.

Hodgson said the new working group formed by his office aims to optimize the availability of the region's comfort dogs in times when they're needed most by building a network of departments throughout the region that can respond to one another's jurisdictions when called upon.

In tragic circumstance, that has already happened.

"The first deployment was last week at Attleboro High School," Public Information Officer Jon Darling shared. "Sadly, two recent graduates of AHS died in a car crash over the weekend and the school reached out to us to see if we could come with comfort dogs on Monday. We had multiple K9s from multiple departments there."

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Saved from the shelter

Both Hero and Jack are rescues from a Florida kill shelter, handpicked for the job, officials said. Their purchase and training was funded by a $12,400 donation from local non-profit Friends of Jack, officially presented Sept. 29 by founder Jill Fearons.

"We’ve been able to see these dogs in action and it does change the kids’ lives," Fearons said. "And that’s what the organization is all about — trying to make things a little bit easier when kids are in traumatic situations."

Hodgson shared some interesting background notes on Jack and Hero. "The first dog they brought out of the kennel was Jack ... and what are the chances, right, that the dog's name would be Jack for Friends of Jack," he said. "She (Fearons) said ... that’s one — we just need one more."

That one more would be Hero, whose naming became part of a Friends of Jack fundraiser in which a $10,000 bid won the chance to pick his name, Hodgson said, adding however that the unnamed bidder decided to leave the decision up to a vote by local children. "The children came up with the name Hero, and here we are," Hodgson said.

Capt. Paul Douglas, K9 handler for the BCSO, told The Standard-Times that Hero and Jack "should be starting probably within a couple of weeks," joining the department's other two comfort dogs, Huntah and Duke, visiting schools, nursing homes and other facilities, although full comfort dog certification will take longer for little Hero. "When he's six months old we'll actually get his certification through the AKC — that's the standard for them," said Douglas, handler of Huntah. "So Hero will be in training for the next six months but he'll still be going in schools and working, doing the comfort stuff. I mean, what's there not to love? He's a cutie."

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A duty to comfort

Now with four comfort dogs, Hodgson said his office will be able to expand the scope of their work, which began when K9s Duke and Huntah — originally picked up by BCSO to sniff out COVID contamination — were certified to do comfort work in May. One way that will happen, he said, will be by incorporating comfort dogs into existing programs, such as Project LifeSaver. With Vaz already charged with facilitating Project Lifesaver, his new role as Jack's handler will be integrated with his work in that program, Hodgson said. 

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"Chris Vaz visits with families every month — people with Alzheimer's dementia, autism — ... but now he's also going to be able to bring his comfort dog when he's visiting these places to help comfort those same individuals he's dealing with in his work," Hodgson said, adding that another BCSO program, True Course — focused on at-risk youth — is also in the midst of growth thanks to a $756,000 grant. BCSO Chief of Staff Elizabeth Doyle said there's plans shaping up to incorporate comfort dogs into that program as well.

"We just got a $756,000 grant to be able to work with incarcerated parents and their children on the outside," she said. "So this is only the beginning of what will be able to do. ... They already have some of the kids in mind these dogs will be able to help."

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BSCO Superintendent Steven Souza also noted the New Bedford Fire Department has the coalition on-call for emergencies where individuals may be in need of some comfort.

"If there is a situation where people are displaced or distraught, we'll respond to the scene to assist the fire department," Souza said.

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While Sears-Oatley and Vaz didn't exactly know how long it would be until their new K9 partners would be cleared from the Professional Canine Services training facility in Middleboro to go home with them, their minds were on the long-term, knowing that when they day comes, it will be the start of a whole new life at home and at work.

"I don't have any dog at home, so this will be the first. My wife is very excited," Vaz told The Standard-Times. "He's got a yard to run around in, a pool if he wants to swim. ... I've known him for 10 minutes and I'm already looking forward to the future with him."

"I don't want to leave him!," Sears-Oatley said as the event started clearing out, still holding Hero, who seemed unfazed by all the activity happening around them. "This is a new journey I'm excited to start. This is Day 1 of everything."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Hodgson introduces Bristol County comfort dogs, announces coalition