Sworn Therapy Dog Supports Ohio Responders

Anyone who works in EMS knows what an incredibly stressful job it can be. That’s why the Franklin, Ohio Division of Fire & EMS now has a therapy dog. Demeter, a trained 2-year-old black Labrador, has been assigned to the city firehouse to provide emotional support and affection to first responders on an ongoing basis.

And yes, Demeter is an official member of the City of Franklin Fire & EMS (CFDF). You can see his swearing-in ceremony (helped by a well-placed treat in the officiant’s hand) from local station WLWT here. 

Demeter’s assignment was spearheaded by CFDF Lt. Katie Williams. In addition to being a firefighter/paramedic, Williams is an emergency room nurse and substance abuse counselor working towards her doctorate of nursing practice and mental health certification. This makes her keenly aware of the stresses faced by EMS and fire personnel on the job.

“Because of my background, I’ve always wanted to bring a therapy dog into the firehouse,” Williams says. “Our people routinely face the worst life can throw at them, while often refusing to admit when things bother them. So when I heard about the Circle Tail nonprofit group that trains ‘facility dogs’ (aka therapy dogs) to support people in schools, nursing homes, and firehouses, I put our name in the hat. When we were selected, the placement went ahead with the support of our city government, city manager, and city council.”

As a working therapy dog, Demeter’s job is to spot stress in CFDF first responders at the station and then give them attention in a bid to ease their pain. According to Williams, this friendly black Lab seems born to this role. “Demeter likes to solicit the entire room for attention, rather than just one person,” she says. “He’ll make contact with everyone and spend time with anyone who seems to need his affection. For instance, when an elderly female patient asked to pet him, I watched Demeter’s demeanor change from a friendly ‘Hi!’ to gently saying ‘Hi’ to someone in distress.”

CFDF firefighter/paramedic Erica Marion is Demeter’s main handler (though each shift has a volunteer handler who is responsible for taking care of the dog). “The first time we took Demeter to the firehouse after we completed our training with Circle Tail, everyone was really excited to meet him—and vice versa,” Marion says. “He’s always itching to meet new people, to the point of being hilarious and very cute.”

Despite his uber-friendly Lab personality, Demeter is very much a trained service animal. “He knows to sit down during meals and not beg for food, to not cross a threshold to an open door unless instructed to, and not to run and jump up on anyone,” says Williams. “Demeter also knows to get into his crate whenever the tones go off. He crates himself without asking and then waits until told to come out—and he taught himself to do that.”

Demeter is also diligent in his duties. “Recently we took Demeter with us to another firehouse,” says Marion. “There had been a seriously traumatic call they had been dealing with that day—in fact, not everyone had returned to station when we arrived. Demeter immediately spotted the individuals who had returned from the scene and paid more attention to them than everyone else. Even though he and I are pretty much joined at the hip, Demeter basically ignored that fact that I was present and focused on them instead.”

Although Demeter is still in his early days as a therapy dog, he is already having a positive impact on the CFDF responders he takes care of. “This is the job Demeter was born to do,” says Williams. “He is a great addition to our department and a real emotional support for our people.”

James Careless is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to EMS World.