Comfort Dog Burns Out Five After Months On the Job

The York Police Department in York, Maine had to retire their comfort dog, Yukon the husky, after only five months on the job. Yukon called it quits after suffering from seizures brought on by stress.

The husky was brought in last September to comfort the public in difficult situations, such as domestic disturbances, but also to emotionally support the police themselves when necessary. But he has had two seizures since then, the latest during a visit to York Middle School, where he was comforting a troubled student.

“He would come to work with me here, then we’d go out in the community,” Yukon’s handler, detective Jamie Robie tells the Portsmouth Herald. “He’s such a sweet boy. He brought people that kind of calm comfort.”

Support dogs have become increasingly popular among police departments in the region, according to the Herald. They are currently deployed in Exeter, Greenland, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Retirement life is treating Yukon well so far. Robie was expected to put him up for adoption but she took him home instead, where he has a big yard to play in and the company of her other dog and teenage children. “I couldn’t give him [away],” Robie said. “So, I kept him. He’s in my home.”

Yukon’s case raises a question. If his handlers realized he was feeling stress only after he started having seizures, how many stressed-out doggos are out there with no such overt symptoms? Comfort animals need comforting too.

Photo credit: Olivia Falcigno