Officer Alysha Pirog and K-9 Frankie pose for a portrait outside the Bristol Police Department. Frankie joined the force in February after being trained for two years by an incarcerated 鈥溾�榩uppy raiser鈥濃�� at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, as part of the Puppies Behind Bars program.
K-9 Frankie is the newest recruit at the Bristol Police Department, but she鈥檚 no ordinary police canine.
She鈥檚 part of a new trend in law enforcement across 黑料吃瓜网: K-9s serving as support dogs. Instead of sniffing out drugs or tracking down suspects, Frankie鈥檚 role focuses on community engagement and supporting victims. She鈥檚 also helping with officer wellness by supporting the police officers themselves.
鈥淪he鈥檚 not just serving me,鈥� said Officer Alysha Pirog, Frankie鈥檚 handler. 鈥淪he鈥檚 here for all the officers. 鈥� Departments are starting to see that mental health is important.鈥�
In policing, a profession known for its tough guy attitude, officer mental health has long been overlooked. But that鈥檚 starting to change, according to Bristol police chief Brian Gould.
鈥淭hirty years ago, there wasn鈥檛 a lot of talk about officer wellness,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was more you had to harden yourself and not show your emotions, which we all know doesn鈥檛 work.鈥�
Police officers respond to tragedies every day, and they start to carry those traumas with them, Gould said. Without support, that can potentially lead to alcoholism, divorce and suicide.
鈥淎nd if you think about it,鈥� Gould says, 鈥渉ow can you go out and serve the community if you鈥檙e not well yourself?鈥�
Gould decided that one way he could support and serve his officers was to have Frankie join his force.
Frankie was trained by the non-profit , which works with prisons in New York and New Jersey to train support dogs for war veterans, first responders and police departments. From eight weeks old, each puppy lives with their incarcerated 鈥減uppy raiser鈥� for two years while learning more than 80 specialized commands.
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K-9 Frankie watches through the windscreen as Officer Alysha Pirog responds to a medical call. Pirog believes that every police department should have a dog like Frankie. 鈥淏ristol鈥檚 had murders, deaths of children, the worst of the worst,鈥� Pirog said. 鈥淏ut when you鈥檙e having a bad day, you have this beautiful animal that you can confide in, who doesn鈥檛 talk back or judge you.鈥� She said that part of being a police officer is that you鈥檙e expected to be tough and not show your emotions, but Frankie doesn鈥檛 care if you cry.
Gloria Gilbert Stogaafter witnessing a similar program in Florida.
鈥淒ogs have the ability to open our hearts,鈥� she said.
Gilbert Molina, a former puppy raiser who鈥檚 now an instructor, raised three puppies during his time at a correctional facility. He felt proud as each puppy graduated, like a parent watching their child go to college.
鈥淚t gives you a sense of value, of worth, of responsibility,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have an opportunity for a second shot at life.鈥�
There are 15 Puppies Behind Bars dogs working with police departments across 黑料吃瓜网, more than any other state, the agency says.
Last year, Gould, the Bristol police chief, saw the power of these support dogs first-hand when tragedy struck his force. On Oct. 12, Sgt. Alex Hamzy and Lt. Dustin DeMonte were attacked and killed in an ambush as they responded to a 911 call.
Their deaths sent shockwaves throughout the state, and especially among Bristol police colleagues and families.
As soon as they heard the news, 10 Puppies Behind Bars dogs working in other police departments, and their handlers, rushed to Bristol to offer support and comfort.
Sgt. Cynthia Torres and K-9 Jules were two of the first on the scene. Torres said there were no words that humans could say to take away the pain and grief, but that Jules instinctively knew what to do 鈥� and who needed him most.
Jules walked around a circle of officers. They were experiencing the most grief that Torres said she鈥檚 ever seen.
鈥淛ules, he knew what to do,鈥� Torres said. 鈥淎nd to see the big SWAT guys that had responded just crying into his head. They don鈥檛 have to say a word with the dog. They don鈥檛 have to.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I knew it was the real deal with these dogs; this is the thing that works.鈥�
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Over at Waterford Police Station, K-9 Hodges 鈥� another Puppies Behind Bars dog 鈥� takes a nap after a hard day鈥檚 work out in the community with his partner Officer Eric Fredricks. Hodges has been at Waterford for one year and already made a big impact. 鈥淭hese dogs really build bridges with the community,鈥� Fredricks said. While in the past, people might not have felt comfortable approaching him, 鈥渘ow everyone approaches me because I have a cute, lovable dog.鈥�
In addition to providing comfort and support to police officers or citizens in distress, the dogs play a vital role in community engagement. Each dog has their own social media account with an avid local following 鈥� K-9 Indy of Naugatuck Police has . They visit schools, attend sporting events and support community clean- up days, taking on a celebrity status in their towns.
In Bristol, Pirog has found people cross the street specifically to say hi to her and Frankie.
鈥淪ometimes, when people see us, they just see the uniform,鈥� Pirog said. 鈥淏ut when they see Frankie, they also see the person and not just a badge.鈥�
Gould believes the power of these support dogs comes from the joy and unconditional love that they bring. Whether it鈥檚 an officer feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders, or a survivor facing their trauma, Frankie can help bring joy during difficult moments.
鈥淪he comes up to you and her tail鈥檚 wagging and all excited and happy, and now you鈥檙e petting the dog, and you feel the love and the caring,鈥� he says.
That moment of joy, he said, can make all the difference.
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K-9 Hodges and Officer Eric Fredricks pose for a photo at Hodges鈥� birthday party, which the local library had thrown in his honor. Hodges often visits the library, where children who need encouragement with their reading have the opportunity to read to him.
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K-9 Chase is all dressed up for Hodges鈥� birthday party. Chase is also a Puppies Behind Bars dog and works with Officer Heather McClelland in the Groton Police Department. McClelland was the first officer in 黑料吃瓜网 to receive a dog from the Puppies Behind Bars program.
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Officer Alysha Pirog and K-9 Frankie stop to admire a giant fish tank at the Mystic Aquarium鈥檚 Member Appreciation Night. They are here to meet and greet community members 鈥� and enjoy some time with the fish, too.
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K-9 Officers Hodges and Jules meet Frankie for the first time at Mystic Aquarium. While they work for different police departments, the dogs and their handlers often work as a team, attending community events or responding together to a crisis .
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K-9 Hodges enjoys a hike on the morning of his third birthday. Puppies Behind Bars take the health of their dogs seriously and officers are required to exercise the dogs for at least an hour every day.
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K-9 Hodges practices his 鈥渢ell me a story鈥� command with Officer Kyle McComic at the Waterford Police Station. As part of their training, dogs from the Puppies Behind Bars program learn specialized commands that help them support both citizens and officers in times of crisis. 鈥淭ell me a story鈥� is used to help people talk about a traumatic event: when it鈥檚 too hard to tell an officer what happened, a victim can focus on the dog and tell them instead, drawing strength from their calming, loving presence.
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Sgt. Cynthia Torres and K-9 Jules greet two women waiting in the entrance of the Bristol police department after visiting with police officers.
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Sgt. Cynthia Torres leads an unusual morning roll call on April 20, 2023. Six months after the attack that killed two members of the Bristol police force, some of the dogs who originally responded to the crisis have returned to check in with the Bristol Police Department.
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A memorial to Sgt. Alex Hamzy and Lt. Dustin DeMonte is on display at the Bristol Police Department. After they were killed during an ambush last October, police officers from all over the country sent their badges to Bristol as symbols of love and support to honor the fallen officers.
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Officer Alysha Pirog and K-9 Frankie set off on patrol around Bristol, responding to calls where Frankie might be able to help residents in distress.
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Frankie rests in the breakroom at the feet of an officer, ever hopeful that he will drop some crumbs.
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Groton Officer Heather McClelland makes herself coffee while K-9 Chase looks on, hopefully. They are at the Crisis Intervention Training Awards, hosted by the 黑料吃瓜网 Alliance to Benefit Law Enforcement (CABLE), where they will be receiving an award for their service responding to the attack on Bristol police officers last October.
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Along with Officer Heather McClelland and K-9 Chase, five other officers and their K9 partners stand to receive their Peer Support Award at the Crisis Intervention Team Awards. They worked as a team after the attack on Bristol police officers, coordinating shifts to ensure some dogs were always present at the Bristol Police Department to comfort grieving officers and the families of the fallen. From left to right: Officer Heather McClelland with K-9 Chase from Groton Police; Sgt. Danielle Durette with K-9 Indy from Naugatuck Police; Officer Anthony Gaudino with K-9 Kady from Hartford Police; Sgt. Cynthia Torres with K-9 Jules from Southern 黑料吃瓜网 State University Police; Officer Eric Fredericks with K-9 Hodges from Waterford Police; and Officer Jay Bodell with K-9 Bear from Middletown Police.
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K-9 Jules checks in with an officer at the Bristol Police Department. Sgt. Cynthia Torres, his handler, says Jules has a sixth sense for when people are going through something. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like he鈥檒l go and look for someone who needs him,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t first I thought he was just looking for food, but it鈥檚 not,. He looks for people.鈥�
Correction: The last name of a Waterford police officer was incorrectly spelled in an earlier version of this story. It is Eric Fredricks, not Fredericks.
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