Portsmouth Police Department recently announced on social media the arrival of K9 Holly, a 16-month-old Labrador Retriever.
“The Portsmouth Police Department is excited to announce our newest member, our first-ever comfort dog! Our new comfort dog, Holly, has worked very hard to complete her training and is excited to start in her new position,” Portsmouth Police shared.
After being sworn in, Holly will be assigned to work together with Officer Westley Lemar, who is the department’s school resource officer for the middle and elementary schools.
“Officer Lemar is looking forward to introducing Holly to all of the students and staff! The presence of comfort dogs in schools has been shown to enhance positive relationships between the police and the school community, and we are very excited to begin this new partnership,” Portsmouth Police shared.
According to the Portsmouth Police Department, Holly was gifted to the department by the New York organization Puppies Behind Bars, an organization that trains incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders.
“Officer Lemar has been training in New York for the past 2 weeks with Holly who is extremely friendly and well trained to provide comfort and companionship in all types of situations,” Portsmouth Police shared. “Holly will also be available for special situations outside of the schools to provide connections with residents, as well as reduce anxiety and increase communication with victims and witnesses”.
According to the Portsmouth Police Department, the Comfort Dog program will be funded completely through community donations.
