NORFOLK, Va. — Hampton Roads, meet Lilly! She's a Labrador retriever with a special task: serving the emotional needs of first responders following stressful situations.
The Norfolk Police Department recruited Lilly as the first certified law enforcement facility dog in Hampton Roads, according to a news release.
Mutts with a Mission, a nonprofit based in Portsmouth, gifted the pup to the department.
The organization selected Lilly specifically for the department because of her "sweet temperament and sociable demeanor."
Lilly currently knows 40 commands and has adjusted well to her family of 800 plus officers and professional staff members.
She has completed the ADI Public Access Test and Skills Test, which allows her to work with police officers and professional staff members throughout the department following stressful situations, counseling sessions, interviews, and roll calls as a facility dog.
Lilly's handler is Officer John Hines, who is assigned to the Peer Support Unit. He has trained alongside her with trainers from Mutts with a Mission.
She accompanies Officer Hines everywhere he goes during his daily duties and lives with him full time.
“There’s nothing like the support of a dog following a difficult day,” said Police Chief Larry D. Boone in the news release.
“As a former K-9 officer, I enjoyed the companionship of a full-time partner. I look forward to seeing my officers experience that same joy and the benefits it will have on their well-being.”