WEEK OF MARCH 21, 2024
VOLUME 23 | ISSUE 3
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When heartache strikes, Castle Rock’s police therapy dogs leap into action
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Castle Rock Police Officer Tom O’Donnell and therapy dog Buddy at Festival Park in Castle Rock. They are part of the department’s growing therapy dog program, which is part of the school resource officers program and community response teams. BY MCKENNA HARFOD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
After seventh-grader Alex Mackiewicz in Highlands Ranch was killed by a driver that ran a red light, Master Officer Tom O’Donnell responded to the call. He didn’t show up at the intersection where Mackiewicz had been riding his “onewheel” scooter. Instead, he went to Mountain Ridge
Middle School to console students and staff. And, he brought along his new partner, Buddy, an eightmonth-old English labrador. Students and staff at the school stroked Buddy’s soft fur, gave him hugs, and let him ease a hard day in a way that no human could. “He was a very big help,” O’Donnell said of his partner. “One girl who was petting him said he took her grief
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PHOTO BY MCKENNA HARFORD
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away for a moment.” Gone are the days when police dogs were only used for searching and apprehending suspects. Castle Rock Police Department is pioneering the development of a therapy dog program, and Buddy is Colorado’s first canine community response team member.
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