Torrington Police Welcome Their New Therapy Dog to the Team

Have you seen the Pedigree dog food commercial? The commercial with the little girl in a hospital bed lamenting to her mom that "more treatment" was coming and she lets out the little excited "Awwww" when a tan and white doggy slides up to her bedside?

It's heartwarming, check it out:

Dogs have a calming effect on tense situations. Their unconditional love and general playfulness can do wonders in the right situation. The City of Torrington Police Department and Chief Bill Baldwin have announced on their social media that they have just received a generous donation from "Puppies Behind Bars", a 1 1/2 year old yellow Labrador Retriever named Addison. Torrington Police Officer Hannah Yabrosky will be handling Addison, who will accompany her on patrol.

According to Chief Baldwin, therapy dogs like Addison provide comfort and support to individuals, and especially officers, during stressful and critical events. Addison will be utilized for officer wellness and community outreach.

Officer Yabrosky recently attended a two week training program in New York, where Puppies Behind Bars trainers have carefully trained each of their dogs to interact with people who have suffered some form of crisis. With the training, Officer Yabrosky and Addison will be better able to recognize the signs of crisis and give both better ways to handle potentially difficult situations.

Addison will also assist in situations with someone in a mental health crisis, but he is not your typical Police K9. Addison will not be used for narcotics detection, missing person, apprehension, or evidence recovery. Simply put, he is there for the public and the officers of the Torrington Police Department as a buddy, a friend when you need it.

Chief Baldwin goes on to thank Torrington's Jon Alfano of Alfano's Hyundai. Alfano's generous donation will keep Addison and Officer Yabronsky comforting residents for three years. Great job everyone, I love this.