{"id":37262,"date":"2021-06-14T08:23:03","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T12:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=37262"},"modified":"2021-06-14T08:23:05","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T12:23:05","slug":"chesco-sheriffs-office-comfort-k-9-1st-in-nation-to-achieve-national-police-canine-therapy-certification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=37262","title":{"rendered":"Chesco Sheriff’s Office Comfort\/K-9 1st in nation to achieve national police canine therapy certification"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sgt. Janis Pickell and Comfort K-9 Marley<\/p><\/div>\n

WEST CHESTER \u2014 On June 4, Comfort K-9 Marley and his handler Sgt. Janis Pickell of the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s Office (CCSO) became the nation\u2019s first canine team to achieve Police Service Therapy\/Comfort K-9 certification through the United States Police Canine Association, Inc. (USPCA). The accreditation incorporates the first national standards and testing of a police comfort dog\u2019s temperament and skills, as well as handler knowledge.<\/p>\n

Pickell received an article this past winter, the same week she asked if there was a way to determine if she and Marley were providing the best service possible. The information had come from certified K-9 trainer Sgt. Paul Bryant, Jr., head of the CCSO\u2019s K-9 unit. There was a new, national certification program, and Sgt. Bryant encouraged Janis to apply. She did, and the 18-year veteran of the CCSO and her English Black Labrador partner began a new regimen.<\/p>\n

Refining skills of bonding and obedience practiced since they became partners in January 2020, Pickell helped Marley learn to encounter and respond calmly to additional people with diverse life situations and in noisy spaces.<\/p>\n

The entire CCSO got into the act, under the expertise of Sgt. Bryant. Six fellow K-9-handler partners from the award-winning CCSO K-9 team and the civil office staff helped Marley socialize with other animals, strangers and bystanders. A deputy in a wheelchair and a civilian staff member using a knee scooter after surgery acclimated Marley to mobility devices. Visits to the CCSO\u2019s squad room taught Marley about different levels of noise and activity. Visits to eating areas gave him practice ignoring food that wasn\u2019t his. He became accustomed to riding an elevator. In each situation, Marley honed skills and acquired fans.<\/p>\n

The CCSO quickly became the lead law enforcement agency in the USPCA initiative. Now that the first program is over, Bryant is providing feedback to help them fine tune requirements.<\/p>\n

This certification is the first for law enforcement therapy dogs in the United States, according to Melinda Ruopp, National Secretary of the USPCA, the largest governing body of police canines and whose standards are accepted in federal court. \u201cFor a while we\u2019ve been seeing the use of therapy K-9s for comfort and support in prisons, courtrooms and interview rooms for victims with positive effects,\u201d said Ruopp. \u201cWe felt they needed certification for tasks specific to dogs in law enforcement; tests needed to ensure that uses of dogs are policy driven. There are civilian organizations that provide certifications for other therapy dogs, but law enforcement K-9s perform different tasks in different situations and environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chester County Sheriff Fredda Maddox lauded the work of the USPCA and the K-9 unit for responding to a need and enhancing opportunities to serve the public.<\/p>\n

\u201cChester County has a long, rich history of innovation and facilitating change large and small. Marley\u2014with his partner Sgt. Pickell\u2014continues that legacy in his own special way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Bryant said that he is very proud of the work of Pickell, Marley and the whole K-9 team. \u201cWe are here to help,\u201d he said. \u201cProviding a comfort dog is another way of responding to someone in crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLaw enforcement work can be hard, heartbreaking and stressful,\u201d said Pickell. \u201cFor me, our certification adds another layer of credibility\u201d that upholds Marley\u2019s, hers and other deputies\u2019 work of connecting with someone who is in distress, especially when they are afraid of a uniformed officer.<\/p>\n

Pickell also reported on her canine\u2019s reaction to the event: \u201cMarley is unfazed at the prospects of celebrity status after achieving this first certification. For him, it\u2019s another happy day of work at the office.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WEST CHESTER \u2014 On June 4, Comfort K-9 Marley and his handler Sgt. Janis Pickell of the Chester County Sheriff\u2019s Office (CCSO) became the nation\u2019s first canine team to achieve Police Service Therapy\/Comfort K-9 certification through the United States Police Canine Association, Inc. (USPCA). The accreditation incorporates the first national standards and testing of a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[976,12938,6518,6919,12937],"class_list":["post-37262","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-chester-county-sheriffs-office","tag-comfort-animal","tag-featured","tag-k-9","tag-police-canine-therapy-certification"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37262"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37262\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37263,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37262\/revisions\/37263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/37261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}