TEWKSBURY, MASS. (WHDH) - Things are getting a little hairy at the Tewksbury Police Department — in the best way possible.
At Tewksbury Memorial High School, Officer James Ryser heads into work each day with a partner who never says a word, but always knows what to do.
That partner is Officer Waffles, a certified comfort and therapy dog.
“It’s pretty much impossible not to smile when you see Waffles,” said Vinny Rodriguez, a senior at the high school.
“You can tell when you look at him he has a job to do,” added Ariana McLean, another senior.
That job is to sense when students are struggling — and when they are, Waffles steps in.
“It’s not always easy to talk sometimes,” McLean said. “Having something else there that’s not trying to communicate with you through talking but through actions is very nice.”
“You don’t feel as alone or makes it easier to come to school or make those bad situations better,” said senior Kallie Mangan.
Ryser says that’s exactly what makes Waffles so great at his job.
“They will be sitting petting Waffles and then all of a sudden they will say, ‘can I talk to you about something that happened at home last night,’” Ryser said. “And we can say hey we have a clinician at the police department that could assist with that.”
With the challenges young people face today, Ryser says the need for Waffles keeps growing.
“Everybody wants Waffles,” he said.
So Waffles is getting some backup.
Meet Pancake — a pup in training to walk the same path, supporting students who need a little lift.
“We like them bombproof so if there’s big noises around them or something like that, the dogs remain settled and still does its job,” said Liz Cleaves, owner of Auntie Dog Training Studio, where Pancake is preparing for certification.
For now, Pancake will work part-time with Waffles until his training is complete.
“I don’t see him as a dog,” said McLean. “I see him as more human.”
“Maybe last night wasn’t my fault, maybe I can try studying better for this test. It’s almost a reset every time I see Waffles,” Rodriguez said
Pancake has about four months of learning left before he can take the national test to become an officially certified therapy dog.
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