WISCONSIN RAPIDS − Visitors to the Wood County Courthouse the past few weeks may have noticed a small four-legged bundle of energy straining to meet them.
Lola, a 12-week-old black lab, has joined the Wood County Sheriff’s Office and will serve as a therapy dog helping Sheriff’s Office staff, inmates and others in the community who need a little warmth and happiness.
Lola and her handler, Jail Lt. Susanna Wagner, have joined K-9 Sig and handler Deputy James Pidgeon, K-9 Timo and handle Sgt. Justus Arendt, K-9 Rosco and handler Deputy Kristine Beathard and K-9 Bingo and handler Sgt. Brandon Christianson.
Sig, Timo and Rosco are considered “full-service” dogs, which mean they are trained in narcotics detection, patrol apprehension and tracking. Bingo is an explosives and firearms detection dog who recently helped find a stolen gun in the village of Port Edwards and assisted in the search of the Mosinee schools following a bomb threat.
Lola is already putting a smile on people’s faces and making a difference
Right now, Lola is like most puppies. She’ll decide to take a nap in the middle of the hallway when going for a walk and likes to shred anything she can find, eliminating the need for a shredding machine in the office Wagner shares with four other people. Lola is doing well on potty training but has had a few accidents, Wagner said.
Although she hasn’t started formal training yet, Wagner has been getting Lola used to the world she’ll live in. Wagner takes her on walks through the jail, through the courthouse and has even had Lola in the Wood County courtrooms. Wagner also has taken Lola to visit fire departments and sporting events. Wagner wants the puppy to get used to being around a lot of people.
Even without training, the difference the puppy makes with people is already apparent. Recently, while Wagner was taking Lola into the jail, several people in the inmate visiting area called out to meet the puppy. Wagner took her in and Lola got pets and scratches from her newest friends and even gave out a few kisses. The mood in the room seemed to get lighter.
Wagner said just seeing the puppy in the jail puts a smile on the faces of everyone they pass. The same is true for going through the halls in the courthouse. Everyone stops the duo and takes a few moments to meet Lola, who seems to love all the attention. When not meeting people, Lola flops down and naps any chance she gets.
Wagner said it is taking her a lot longer to get anywhere she goes, but she doesn’t mind the many stops for Lola to get a few pets and snuggles. It’s what Wagner hoped a therapy dog could do for the people in the courthouse.
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Wood County and Marshfield will both add therapy dogs to their departments
Wagner, who has been in law enforcement for 20 years and has been a Wood County corrections officer for 10 years, said she loves dogs. A few years ago, Wagner heard about therapy dogs being used to help people in nursing homes and other institutions, including jails. She got the idea to get a therapy dog for the Wood County Jail but the timing wasn’t right, she said.
In the meantime, Marshfield Police Officer Anthony Klein, one of two school resource officers for the city of Marshfield, completed his first full year working in the schools last year. He said he’s enjoyed the rapport, connections, friendships and trust he’s been able to build with the students. During the summer, Klein said he began brainstorming ways to build on the foundation and culture he had been able to create.
During that summer, Klein had a particularly tough day at work and he was not in the best of moods when he went home. Then, he opened the door to his house and his 11-year-old yellow lab, Rudy, greeted him bouncing up and down and wagging his tail. Klein said the grin on Rudy’s face told him how happy the dog was to see him.
“In that moment, all the negativity, stress and emotions were lifted off my shoulders; an instant better mood,” Klein said. “It clicked and I thought, ‘How cool would it be to provide this feeling for individuals that could use it on a day-to-day basis.'”
Klein often sees students when they are having some of the worst days of their lives. He knows a dog would bring a calming effect to people in crisis.
Heather Clark, owner of Blueberry Cottage Labradoodles in Osseo, has offered a puppy free of charge, Klein said. The Marshfield Police Department is on a waiting list and expects to receive the puppy sometime between June and August. The puppy will go to school immediately, and will attend weekly obedience classes. The dog should be fully certified as a therapy dog by the time it is 2 years old.
After the Marshfield Police Department accepted the offer from Clark, they were offered another therapy dog. They contacted Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker to ask if he’d be interested in the second dog.
Wagner said the timing wasn’t right for a therapy dog when she first got the idea, and the Wood County Jail is currently crowded and doesn’t have room for a dog. However, the new Wood County Jail is expected to open in early 2025 and it will be able to provide much more programming to the inmates and will be the perfect place for Lola to work, Wagner said.
Lola will help jail inmates as well as staff who experience traumatic events
Eventually, Lola will help inmates in the Wood County Jail and Wood County Sheriff’s Office staff who have gone through traumatic situations, Wagner said. The black lab also will be available to help children who are crime victims, other emergency service personnel in the county who have undergone a traumatic event and other situations in the community where people may be traumatized. Wagner also sees Lola being able to help children who have to testify in court.
Sheena Bohl recently joined the Wood County Sheriff’s Office as its new counselor. She previously worked for 10 years as a corrections officer in the Wood County Jail. Bohl wanted to do more to help the inmates she worked with, so in January 2018 she quit her job and went back to school to get her master’s degree in psychology. Bohl had to complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work and pass a state exam to become a licensed professional counselor through the state of Wisconsin.
When the former counselor left the jail position, Bohl stepped in. She’s excited to get to help the inmates in the same jail where she was a corrections officer. Her time as a corrections officers gives Bohl a unique understanding of how a jail works. Becker said it is an incredible opportunity to have a counselor in the jail who worked as a corrections officer for so long and knows what to expect.
Bohl also is excited to get to work with Lola and Wagner. Lola can be an immense help calming agitated inmates down during counseling sessions, Bohl said.
“One thousand percent, she’s a help for me daily,” Bohl said.
Training ‘will be a lot of work for the next year’
Wagner said Lola’s training will begin with puppy classes from the Wisconsin Rapids Kennel Club. Lola will then go through an advanced puppy and beginner obedience class. Once Lola is a year old, she’ll start going through the Kennel Club’s therapy dog class. Lola then will have to be tested and certified.
“It will be a lot of work for the next year,” Wagner said.
Wagner, who also is continuing to do her duties as the jail lieutenant, says the extra work is worth it. Wagner loves to see the faces of people who see Lola each day. She hopes Lola will make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people.
The Acacia Foundation of Central Wisconsin gave Wood County a $500,000 grant − $100,000 in each of five years for its K-9 program, Becker said. One aspect of the grant was to assist in the area of mental health. Lola fits that need perfectly, he said.
The Wood County Sheriff Office’s other K-9s visit schools and do a lot of demonstrations, but it isn’t the same as a therapy dog, Becker said. The other dogs tolerate petting and interaction with people, but what they really want to do is to perform the jobs they’re trained for, Becker said.
“Lola is going to be primarily a part of the jail, but she’s going to make a difference in the community,” Becker said.
Contact Karen Madden at 715-345-2245 or kmadden@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KMadden715, Instagram @kmadden715 or Facebook at www.facebook.com/karen.madden.33.
