Independence firefighter launches fundraiser for therapy dog that helps first responders

INDEPENDENCE — A new class of therapy dogs is launching across Iowa to help the people who help others.

And at Independence Fire and Rescue Association, one is among the first helping change the mindset around mental health needs for first responders.

Shakespeare, a 6-month-old standard poodle, started training for the job earlier this summer with First Assistant Chief John Butler. A firefighter for more than 30 years, Butler made the new hire after seeing the need to recognize mental health concerns.

“Fire service has always been about big, physically and mentally tough people who are supposed to handle everything,” Butler said. “I think the reality is that yes, we are tough, we are hardened, we do see things we wish we hadn’t. But we’re still human beings and we’re still affected.”

Butler’s fundraiser to help with the cost of acquiring and training Shakespeare, launched on Go Fund Me in August, so far has raised over $1,000 of its $7,000 goal.

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After learning about the specially trained class of dogs for first responders from a colleague, Butler was influenced by his daughter to bring Shakespeare on. Butler’s daughter, one of many educators affected by the Perry school shooting that took the lives of a principal and student in January, had a chance to see the dogs in action.

How it works

Before being fully deployed, Shakespeare and Butler will be trained in critical incident stress management, where they’ll learn techniques to make them comfortable helping someone in the middle of a crisis.

When humans are thrust into chaotic and traumatic situations, a dog’s presence helps regulate the brain’s “fight, flight or freeze” response that governs thinking, talking and feeling. Petting and interacting with therapy dogs can reduce cortisol stress levels while increasing oxytocin — the hormone linked with comfort.

“The dog makes that more effective by being a bridge between the handler and the person they are speaking with or sitting with,” said Rebecca Smith, a Colfax veterinarian and founder of Crisis Canines of the Midlands. “They can open up to their support network. We want to allow this bridge (to form) before post-traumatic stress injury has a chance to form in their brain.”

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She started the nonprofit in 2022 with her husband, a critical care paramedic, after seeing the untapped potential for the specially trained dogs across the state. At that time, she said the only dog with this kind of training worked for the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

Earlier year, Crisis Canines deployed its first class of 15 dogs for first responders. Over time, Crisis Canines has a goal of training and deploying two first responder dogs per county in Iowa -- or 198.

Crisis Canines pairs dogs and handlers with certified trainers from other states to certify dogs and further each first responder’s mission.

The 501(c)3 nonprofit also helps fire and rescue teams secure donations, grants and funding for each dog. Smith said a dog for this purpose typically costs about $10,000 to purchase and fully train.

A shift in mentality

The organization is helping first responders, an industry with a high burnout rate, take care of themselves first so that they can continue to help others, she said.

Smith said the average human is involved with one or two critical incidents that overwhelm coping mechanisms in their lifetime. But first responders in Knoxville, for example, respond to roughly seven to nine of those incidents each day.

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“There’s unimaginable differences,” Smith said. “It’s traditionally been a ‘good old boys’ atmosphere where you toughen up about things and don’t necessarily open up. There’s been a huge shift in the perception of the fact that it’s OK to not be OK.”

How dogs are chosen and trained

Therapy dogs are chosen not necessarily for their breed, but for their temperament. A good candidate is an outgoing dog that enjoys meeting strangers but has low levels of reactivity to adverse circumstances.

Though Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers tend to excel at this job, Smith has seen success with other breeds like corgi mixes, Weimaraners and other rescues. And while most good candidates start training as puppies, a dog’s age doesn’t necessarily disqualify them from the job.

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Through training over a course of many months both in concentrated “academies” as well as on-the-job work, a dog’s natural inclinations are refined through levels of obedience training. They’re also desensitized to the sounds of helicopters, drones, gunfire, actively pumping water, people experiencing intense emotion and other sudden or loud noises.

Shakespeare, whose training will take up to two years, will be available to respond to traumatic calls, help his co-workers manage stress, represent the department at community events and help surrounding counties.

After seeing first responders across the state cut their careers short from the stress of the job, Butler knows Shakespeare won’t be a silver bullet to stress. But he will provide relief that other resources can’t.

“Not very many people don’t smile when there’s a friendly dog around,” he said.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.