IFPD recruits dogs to support mental health of officers and staff
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The following is a news release and photos from the Idaho Falls Police Department.
IDAHO FALLS — Around the globe, October 10 is recognized as World Mental Health Day. In recognition of World Mental Health Day, the Idaho Falls Police Department is excited to spotlight an important resource that contributes to the mental health and well-being of our officers and staff: our wellness dogs, Rusty and Sarge.
Rusty, a four-year-old standard poodle, and Sarge, a nearly one-year-old mixed breed, each come to work at the Idaho Falls Police Complex each day. Their jobs? To interact with officers, staff, and even victims of crime, to provide proven benefits towards improved mental health and reduced stress.
Numerous studies show the positive impact that dogs have on mental health, including reducing anxiety, lowering stress levels, and improving overall emotional well-being.
Rusty and Sarge’s respective handlers, Laramie Pancheri and Lieutenant Sage Albright, are each members of the Idaho Falls Police Department TRUST (Traumatic Response Unified Support ) Team, a team of IFPD employees with receive specialized training to support their peers during crisis, mental health struggles, and following high-stress and/or traumatic incidents.
Pancheri, an IFPD Code Enforcement Officer, adopted Rusty in 2020. As he grew, Pancheri learned that Rusty may have an aptitude for wellness or therapy work which was eventually made clear when they stopped by the Idaho Falls Police station one day.
“An officer had responded to a couple really tough calls,” said Pancheri. “When he saw Rusty, Rusty looked at him and just beelined toward him. The officer and Rusty went to the ground. He hugged on Rusty, and Rusty just loved on him. After a few moments, the officer got up and you could just see he felt lighter.”
At the time, Pancheri did not know about the calls the officer had responded to that were weighing on him, but believes Rusty recognized it.
“Some dogs can just recognize when a person is feeling down or stressed or could use some extra support and they know how to give it,” said Pancheri. “Rusty does that. He picks up on their energy and can tell if that officer needs to play and have fun, or if a dispatcher needs a calm cuddle. He provides the support they need in that moment. You can’t really train that, but you can capitalize on it.”
With support from the leadership team, IFPD and Pancheri started a wellness dog pilot program, bringing Rusty with her to work some days and involving him in peer support with the IFPD TRUST Team. Pancheri started gathering research and policies from other law enforcement agencies around the country that have wellness dog programs and began working on formalized training and certifications for Rusty.
Today, Rusty is certified through the American Kennel Club as a Canine Good Citizen Advanced and Community Canine. Rusty has also completed his training to be a Certified Therapy Animal and his certification is pending.
In late 2024, a second wellness dog, Sarge, joined the Idaho Falls Police Department. Sarge, a mixed breed puppy, was turned into the Idaho Falls Animal Shelter as a stray after being found along the highway. After no one claimed him, staff at IFAS, which is part of the Idaho Falls Police Department, contacted Lieutenant Albright, telling him Sarge was special and could be a great fit for a wellness dog at the department.
“Sarge and I connected quickly,” says Lieutenant Albright. “And he kind of does that with everyone. That’s part of what made the shelter staff think that he could be a good fit for this program. He is still young and time will tell if he has the right temperament for a formal therapy animal certification, but so far he’s showing all the right signs and is having a positive impact on the department and people we interact with.”
Lieutenant Albright and Pancheri worked with IFPD leadership to formalize the wellness dog program and policy in 2024.
Rusty and Sarge’s day-to-day includes coming to work with Pancheri and Albright and essentially shadowing them during their primary responsibilities in Code Enforcement and the Professional Standards Bureau. Throughout the day, officers and staff will stop by to visit the dogs in their areas or say hi as they move around the building. Rusty and Pancheri’s workspace is in the Patrol Bureau, so Rusty is readily available to see and interact with patrol officers as they are working in the building each day.
When officers have someone at the Idaho Falls Police Complex, like a victim, witness, or a child, who they think could benefit from interacting with one of the dogs, Rusty and Sarge come to visit. The dogs have played with children, some who are victims of crime themselves or others who are accompanying a parent meeting with an officer. Rusty and Sarge provide comfort, distraction, and a positive moment in what can be a discomfiting experience.
As members of the department’s TRUST team, Pancheri and Albright also participate in formal peer support and critical incident debriefs. Sarge and Rusty are tools to help care for officers, emergency communications officers, and other staff after high-stress traumatic incidents that are unfortunately common in law enforcement.
“We hear all the time and know from experience that law enforcement is stressful,” said Lieutenant Albright. “Stress raises cortisol levels, and studies show us that dogs have a significant direct impact on lowering cortisol levels. Having Rusty and Sarge here, doing what they do for us as humans, helps our team process the stress that comes with the job.”