Arlington Police Department Comfort Dog, Officer Roger. / Arlington Police Department photo
A new officer in town has been transforming the Arlington Police Department, training hard and leaving a special paw-print on the community. Officer Roger is the APD’s comfort dog, an Australian Labradoodle adopted into the department last December.
A rising trend in law enforcement agencies nationwide is bringing specially trained dogs to work with officers and their communities to boost morale and overall mental health.
“The way I see it, a therapy dog is for the individual citizen . . . a comfort dog serves a community or group,” explained APD School Resource Officer Bryan White.
When APD Chief Julie Flaherty proposed adopting a comfort dog, she looked to White to be the officer who would work closely with the animal. Being the school resource officer, the department thought it best that the comfort dog should be able to regularly visit Arlington’s students.
Officer Roger has been living with White and his family since December, and the trained comfort dog follows White to work each day.
“He’s with me all the time,” White said.
An Australian Labradoodle was an obvious choice for the department when debating which breed of dog to adopt, as the breed is known for their intelligence, affection and their hypo-allergenic coats.
White said the Roger's name is inspired by the police radio communication, which indicates a message had been received. His 6-year-old daughter first thought of this – and the name was finalized after an APD Facebook post sought community input, and fellow residents agreed. 
Officer Roger began his comfort dog training at just 12 weeks old.
The beloved dog was born in October, and when the pooch was just 12 weeks old, Officer Roger started training within the Auntie Dog training studio in Tewksbury. In his earlier days learning to be a comfort dog, training would bring him to various settings, White explained. That included a crowded grocery store to a senior living center, so the young animal could be exposed to a variety of scenarios, learning how to conduct himself in each one. After four months of hard work, the studio’s owner and training director, Liz Cleaves, said Arlington’s comfort dog was voted “most improved” in his class.
Most recently, Officer Roger completed his four-week training camp in which he was introduced to distracted environments and worked alongside Tewksbury’s comfort dog, Officer Waffles.
“Upon completion of camp, Officer Roger was reunited with his handler in a two-hour homecoming lesson. He tested and earned his AKC Canine Good Citizen certification with his handler at 8 months old,” Cleaves wrote in an email to YourArlington.
No matter where he is or who he is surrounded by, Officer Roger is happy to provide comfort and support. White said that watching the dog perform his duties is incredible.
“He is so good at his job and the kids love him. I’ve seen him just lay down and let a bunch of kindergarteners pet him,” he said.
Officer Roger lives with Officer Bryan White and his family.In addition to school visits, Officer Roger can be found at community events and police headquarters. The comfort dog even follows White to police calls, particularly those that deal with nonviolent mental health matters. When the APD receives a report of a mental health crisis, mental health clinician Christina Valeri responds to the scene. She and White will communicate with the person involved to see if perhaps Officer Roger could be of assistance to de-escalate the situation.
White recalled a time a woman came into the Arlington police station, evidently distressed after an incident of road rage. The station had just recently adopted Officer Roger.
“I went up to her and said, ‘excuse me, do you like puppies?’ She looked at me very confused and rolled her eyes. I went to go get [Officer Roger]… the dog came in, she completely brightened up and was able to calm down.”
John Hopkins Medicine reported that simply petting a dog lowers human stress hormone cortisol, and social interaction between people and dogs increases the feel-good hormone, oxytocin.
Arlington’s civilians aren’t just benefiting from Officer Roger’s work — White said he’s seen all of the officers' demeanor drastically change since the department adopted the comfort dog. White brings Officer Roger with him to the APD morning meetings, and the town’s law enforcement are eager to have him there.
“You know, you go into work on Monday morning and see a puppy, your day gets better,” White said.
According to Cleaves, once Officer Roger turns a year old this October, the comfort dog will test with Therapy Dogs International to become a certified therapy dog.
The APD is hosting a kids' day camp with the town’s recreation department, where children and their families can get the opportunity to meet Officer Roger and learn about his role here in town. This event is scheduled for June 24 through June 26 at the Dallin Elementary School, 185 Florence Ave.
Updates regarding Officer Roger’s whereabouts and training progress are regularly published to the APD’s Facebook page >>
Aug. 9, 2024: Town Police Department hires 3 officers
This news feature was published Monday, June 9, based on information from APD Officer Bryan White and Liz Cleaves, owner of Auntie Dog Training Studio.
