First responders endure high levels of stress. These dogs can lighten the load

CNN

By Kathleen Toner, CNN

San Rafael, California (CNN) — Whether battling a wildfire, chasing a suspect, or helping someone with a traumatic injury – the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and others who take action in emergencies regularly endure high levels of stress.

These situations take a serious physical and emotional toll, yet many first responders don’t seek out the mental health support they need to cope.

“We’re supposed to be there to help other people. And so I think it’s hard naturally for us to say that we need help,” said San Rafael Fire Engineer Dan Rotwein.

Keeping their emotions in check comes at a price. First responders are at high risk for PTSD, depression, and alcohol abuse, and law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

But for the past five years, many emergency responders have found some much-needed – and very cuddly – relief by visiting with a therapy dog. It’s the work of Heidi Carman and her nonprofit, First Responder Therapy Dogs. Since 2021, the group has certified more than 480 therapy dog teams across the United States and visited more than 150,000 first responders.

A working dog finds her calling

Carman likes to say that her dog, Kerith, led her to this work. She began raising the golden retriever puppy in 2018 as a volunteer with Guide Dogs for the Blind, a nonprofit near her home in northern California. Having raised several puppies for the group, Carman said she could tell that Kerith’s outgoing personality might not be a good quality for a guide dog.

“She was just too friendly to every single person that she met,” Carman said. “I could see that she just gave everyone so much joy and she was born to be a working dog. (But) guide dog work was not the job she was intended to do.”

Eventually, Carman adopted her, and they got certified as a therapy dog team. In the fall of 2019, they started volunteering at the emergency department of a local hospital and soon met some firefighter-paramedics who were shaken up from a tragic call.

“They just hugged her, and they just melted their heads into her,” Carman said. “And they’re like, ‘We need this so badly right now. Can you come to our fire station?’”

From that first visit with firefighters, Carman said it was obvious Kerith had found her calling.

“Every time Kerith saw a firefighter … she just went right up to them and got all silly and excited,” she said. “I could see that it made her really happy, so I followed her lead.”

When wildfires hit northern California in August 2020, the duo began visiting base camps where the firefighters stage their equipment before heading out to the front lines. There, Carman learned that firefighters from across the state were deployed to battle the blazes, working 24-hour shifts for two weeks at a time. As she and Kerith greeted weary teams each morning, Carman could see how much their visits meant to them.

“It’s just such a relief. It’s like an exhale for them just to be with a dog,” she said. “I’ve seen happy tears, sad tears, a lot of smiles. … It’s just so nice for them to see something happy and alive and furry.”

She posted pictures of Kerith with firefighters on Instagram and soon word began to spread.

“I was getting messages, ‘Can you come to my husband’s police department?’” Carman said. “So it just took off from there.”

A national network of teams

Carman was flooded with requests for therapy dog visits as well as inquiries from dog owners who wanted to join her effort, so she founded First Responder Therapy Dogs. She worked with dog trainers to develop a certification process for dogs as well as their handlers, who must pass an extensive background check and 15 to 20 hours of online coursework.

Carman says any dog can be a therapy dog if they have the right personality.

“It doesn’t matter the breed, as long as they have a good temperament and love people,” she said. “We have everything from a miniature poodle of seven pounds to a Newfoundland of 150 pounds.”

Carman provides teams with a dog vest, ID card, and liability insurance that covers them in the field. She also helps handlers establish relationships with emergency service units in their communities. The nonprofit currently has teams in 46 states that regularly visit not only police and fire departments, but also EMS workers and 9-1-1 dispatch centers. In addition to regular visits, local authorities often request teams after traumatic events, like a mass shooting or when a first responder has been killed in the line of duty.

“It’s difficult for them, and so having the dogs out there just takes the edge off a little bit,” Carman said. “They don’t want to talk about what they’re feeling. But when the dog is there … they just start talking.”

Canine therapy, real relief

Research has shown that even short-term interactions with therapy dogs have real benefits. They’ve been proven to decrease cortisol, the stress hormone, lower blood pressure and heart rate, while increasing oxytocin, a hormone linked to positive emotional states.

Commander Jack Hart of the San Francisco Police Department has seen the impact of a therapy dog on his fellow officers.

“Oftentimes, as a defense mechanism, we close up,” he said. “When we are around emotional support animals, you just see that all sort of melt away. And that ability to smile and to release has such a profound effect.”

One advantage of a therapy dog visit is that it’s low commitment.

“Just to have a dog come by, it can kind of break the ice,” Rotwein said. “She can’t talk, can’t ask questions. She is just there for the sole purpose of supporting you.”

Michelle Detrick, now retired from a career as a firefighter and paramedic, said she was dealing with undiagnosed PTSD when she first met Kerith in 2020. The golden retriever sensed Detrick’s emotional distress right away.

“She put both of her paws on my shoulders, and she just went nose to nose with me. And we just had a moment. And it broke me down,” Detrick said. “This was my wake-up call that I needed to go to therapy. … They’re man’s best friend for a reason.”

Carman is determined to keep expanding her work and wants every first responder to have access to a therapy dog.

“We have helped so many people,” Carman said. “I’m grateful to Kerith for showing me the way.”

Want to get involved? Check out the First Responder Therapy Dogs website and see how to help.

To donate to First Responder Therapy Dogs via Pledge, click here

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