OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — There’s a new friendly (and furry) face at the Oshkosh Police Department.
Police say they added a new therapy dog to the department.
Magic is a professionally trained, two-year-old female Golden Retriever, who will provide emotional support to both members of the community and officers.
Magic will be working with the department’s Behavioral Health Officer, Scott Sopata, who since October 2021 has been responding to behavioral health related calls, highly sensitive/emotional calls for service, as well as being used to support employees of the Oshkosh Police Department after critical incidents.
“I am very excited about incorporating Magic into my role as BHO. We will work as a Team to assist individuals in crisis situations, help them get any needed resources, and will also conduct after care follow up with them. Magic will bring an additional sense of calm and peace wherever she goes,” Officer Sopata said.
Magic was trained through a a nonprofit program called, Journey Together. The service dogs reside at the Oshkosh Correctional Institution and inmates apply to the program to provide training in a number of areas and care for the dogs. Community volunteers go to the facility to provide instruction with inmates and take the dogs out of the prison to provide experiences that are not possible in a correctional facility. This partnership significantly decreases the cost of training service dogs, increasing the number of dogs who can be trained and placed in the community.
Through the program, Magic earned several certifications: Canine Good Citizen, Advanced Canine Good Citizen, Urban Canine Good Citizen and Trick Dog.
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