AIRWAY HEIGHTS – The Police Department has introduced its newest member, Tonks, a specially trained crisis intervention dog.
Tonks, a two-year-old golden retriever, has been trained to work alongside the police Crisis Response Team, assisting individuals in heightened emotional states, supporting victims and providing peer support for officers.
“Tonks is called a crisis K9, or a crisis intervention K9,” said officer Kayla Franck, Tonks’ handler. “She’ll be assisting with crisis intervention for individuals in heightened emotional states, victim advocacy and officer peer support.”
Unlike typical police dogs, Tonks’ is trained in crisis response.
Franck and Tonks received three AKC Canine Good Citizen certifications and the Canine Public Service certification through the American Society of Canine Trainers International.
The training duration varies from dog to dog, focusing on meeting specific criteria rather than logging a set number of hours. Tonks has not yet been deployed for crisis interventions, having only participated in community engagement functions, so far.
“We’re only a week and a half in,” Franck said. “But she loves all the officers and they seem to really enjoy her presence.”
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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