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Therapy dogs sworn in at TXST
Texas State University has two new therapy dogs, who were sworn in as part of the university police force.
SAN MARCOS, Texas - Texas State University has two new "paw-fficers." They're therapy dogs who were sworn in as part of the university police force.
The dogs are named Mando and Baloo.
Meet Mando and Baloo
What they're saying:
Mando is a 2–3-year-old German Shorthaired pointer. Baloo is about a year-old lab mix, but that's not certain because both are shelter dogs.
"They're super cute, I'm on board with the cuteness factor, but they're more than that," Eric Algoe, EVP and CFO at Texas State University said during the ceremony. "These are a real tool that our law enforcement officers can use to help make those connections, to help tear down those barriers between sometimes having a police officer there and others."
The dogs are Texans now but are actually from Florida. The Brevard County Sheriff's Office in Florida has the Paws & Stripes program, which pairs rescue dogs with inmates so they can train them.
Both dogs were strays, and Baloo is believed to have been hit by a car because of a scar on his leg.
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Mando lives with his handler, David Velasco, and Baloo lives with his handler, Monique Grijalva.
"I have a passion for mental health and helping others. I have my own dogs and know the impact they can have on the community," Grijalva said.
The handlers have only been with their dogs for three weeks.
"You can see more of the puppy in him now," Grijalva said.
The university says the dogs help with community-based policing. They helped the community after a student died by suicide.
The dogs will be part of the department's regular patrol and can be helpful for everyone's mental health.
"It definitely makes me more approachable. The kids, their faces light up as we're walking," Grijalva said.
The university hopes the dogs can serve as an early intervention, improve student retention, and encourage people to seek out support if they need it.
"It's connecting us closer to the students on campus to see that they can approach us and talk to us, because we're human, as well as helping those who may have been through some mental health crisis," Grijalva said.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Angela Shen