Aren’t police dogs supposed to be strong and tough after their training, to protect their human counterparts? Well, not all of them! This little police puppy, named Brody, slept through his entire swearing-in ceremony – and that’s okay with everyone, including the police!
One Long Ceremonyl
Just like a regular office, Brody needed to complete a swearing-in to become a full-fledged police dog. At first, everything went fine. Brody arrived at the ceremony, happy and excited! And then, well…he handled it exactly like you would expect a puppy too! Meanwhile, as the police department streamed the event online, the police officers were not the only ones who saw the little puppy sleep through the entire thing. Of course, as the pup is just 12 weeks old, we can all understand his tiny nap.
Utterly oblivious to the ceremony taking place around him, little Brody simply napped his way through. In fact, his handler had to swear for him. “We put him down on the desk, and he was just so comfortable that he lay down and fell asleep,” Officer Keith Medeiros, Brody’s handler, commented afterward. Now, some of you might be wondering the same thing we did: just how did a barely-grown puppy join the police department? Well, Brody will be no ordinary police dog…
Brody, One Special Police Puppy
As you might have guessed, Brody is no average police dog. In fact, he’s a K-9 comfort dog! Believe it or not, initially, the Bristol Police department did not want Brody. How could anyone not? Well, they thought that a narcotics or bomb-sniffing dog instead of a therapy fluffy. However, after a dog handler and school resource officer, Officer Medeiros, suggested the purchase, the department started listening. After a few weeks, he managed to convince them to make the purchase! Now, he’s working full time as a comfort dog!
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Brody hasn’t had the most packed schedule recently. However, the police department is working hard to keep Brody as occupied as possible. “You want him to be exposed to as many people as possible,” Medeiros said. “And I try to do that while practicing social distancing.” Of course, Brody has also been helping the officers in these stressful times. “People are really stressed, especially in law enforcement,” the officer continued. “Just by walking in the police department with Brody, people immediately smile, they immediately get into a better place. They want to pet him, want to hug him, and it’s just a really good thing.” Thankfully, that’s not all Brody can do in these stressful times, either…
Working Online
After the police video went viral online, hundreds around the world wanted to keep up to date with Brody’s everyday progress. So, Officer Medeiros started an official Instagram page for Brody, @bpdk9brody. As of this writing, over 70,000 Instagram users have watched a short clip of little Brody asleep during his ceremony, and he’s gaining followers every day!
So, it seems that even during a coronavirus pandemic, Brody has managed to find a way to work from home like the rest of us. While he may not be comforting people in person, he’s comforting thousands through his pictures and videos.