Det. Daniele Fortunato of the Harvard Police Department expects to have a new work partner soon to help with her community policing responsibilities. She recently qualified for the NEADS service dog program, which means she will be paired with a fully trained service dog as soon as a good “match” is available.
Fortunato wanted a service dog, she said, because she has seen an increase in stressful situations over her 16 years of police work in Harvard. She explained that a dog’s presence can be calming in tense situations, comforting for both children and adults at times of crisis, and helpful in situations where communication is difficult.
NEADS (formerly known as National Education for Assistance Dogs Services) is based in Princeton. It began as a hearing-dog program in 1976, according to its website, but now also provides dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, people with physical disabilities, and children with autism. NEADS dogs often work in hospitals, courthouses, or classrooms. They are not trained or used to detect drugs, nor are they used as search or patrol dogs.
Fortunato began applying for her assistance dog last February, a process that required a recommendation from the police chief, a rigorous interview, and the commitment to raise $8,000 in donations for the nonprofit NEADS to help offset the high cost of training her dog.
Most of the dogs in the program are black or yellow Labs, Fortunato said. They are trained to respond to more than 50 commands. For example, hearing dogs get special training so they can alert a deaf person to a knock at the door, a ringing phone, or a smoke detector that’s going off. For someone in a wheelchair, a dog will press elevator buttons, turn on light switches, bring the TV remote control, or retrieve a dropped set of keys. Crucially, a dog can also bring a cellphone to a person who has fallen and is unable to get up.
The NEADS goal, the website says, is to train dogs that are friendly, confident, and “have a good work ethic.” When working, the dogs wear simple jackets that identify them as service dogs. They know they’re at work when the jacket is on, Fortunato said. And she will be able to use her new partner as a service dog only while she is on duty herself. “Off-duty, it’s a pet,” she said.
Harvard will not be the first town in this area where the public safety department has an assistance dog. Det. Ken Wright of the Mansfield Police Department works with a NEADS dog named Bentley. The Bolton Fire Department has Chloe, a young black Lab from the NEADS program. And the Lunenburg Police Department has Hank, a “comfort” dog, certified under a different program. All these dogs help their departments as they work with members of the community who are in stressful situations, ranging from being victims of crime to medical emergencies to suicide risks.
Fortunato does not know when she will hear that NEADS has found the right dog for her. Once she gets the call, they will spend a week training together at the Princeton NEADS center. And then it becomes a longtime commitment. When her dog grows too old to work, it will transition from work-time partner to full-time friend.
