Alpharetta police introduce agency’s first therapy dog

By SHELBY ISRAEL shelby@appenmedia.com

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The Alpharetta Police Department is instating its first therapy dog to provide victim and witness support and departmental therapy.

Lt. Andrew Splawn said Det. Caitlin Lawrence pitched Scout, a 14-monthold beagle mix, to Director of Public Safety John Robison in 2022. He said Scout was approved, and Lawrence attended a 40-hour basic training school with Scout in December.

Splawn said Scout came from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s Paws and Stripes College in Florida, a program where select jail inmates train shelter dogs in obedience to determine whether they would be a good fit as a therapy or a comfort dog.

“They have to do a mock therapy dog interview where they’re interviewing a victim or a witness and the dog is in the room,” Splawn said. “They have a really nice program down there at Brevard County, and then after the one-week certification, then the handler gets to come back and start to do work with the dog.”

Scout’s training did not end with Paws and Stripes, Splawn said. Scout will continue to learn and improve his skills for the rest of his time at the department.

Splawn said standard K9 dogs are used as tools in the field for scent detection, tracking and apprehension, but Scout will be used to bring comfort for those who have had traumatic experiences.

“Because whenever somebody’s been a victim of a traumatic crime, especially like a person-on-person crime, being able to help them recall the details and speak about them, it’s very challenging,” Splawn said. “And if we can use therapy dogs to help them out, we’re helping the victim, but then we’re also helping to identify suspects.”

He said Scout’s primary purpose is a therapy dog for victims and witnesses, but the dog will also provide therapy for the Public Safety Department’s employees, such as firefighters and 911 dispatchers, who can witness traumatic events in the course of their duties.

Since February, Splawn said Scout has already made rounds around the department to cheer up employees, but Scout has not yet been employed in direct response to a traumatic event.

The Alpharetta Police Department’s new therapy dog Scout is a 14-month-old beagle mix. Scout was trained alongside Police Det. Caitlin Lawrence at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Paws and Stripes College in Florida.

Splawn said a study conducted by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office found that in 24 cases, 83 percent of child abuse victims made active disclosures when comforted by a therapy dog, compared to the national average 30-40 percent disclosure rate.

“It really helps victims and witnesses [who are] anxious in an interview room,” Splawn said. “It really helps calm them down, and as they get more calm, they’re able to recall more instances and details to be able to give to the police.”

Splawn said the department will review Scout’s success rate in the future to determine if more therapy dogs would be worthwhile, but the department is open to having more.