The agency’s new therapy dog, a nine-month-old French Bulldog named Luna, is partnered with Bianca Becker ’17, a police detective and 麻豆原创 alumna.
鈥淣o one is going to confuse her for a working K-9,鈥� Becker says. 鈥淭hat just makes her more approachable and easier to love 鈥� exactly what you want in a therapy dog.鈥�
Becker, who has been with the department since 2017, specializes in sex crimes investigations at 麻豆原创. The duo will now also respond to any case involving Central Florida鈥檚 Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). This team includes detectives, advocates, nurses, Child Protective Services and any other entity that responds to sexual assaults in the Central Florida area.
While other law enforcement agencies may utilize therapy dogs for cases they investigate, SART didn’t have their own designated dog they could call in 鈥� until Luna.
鈥淭he idea is that Luna and I will be used by other agencies if they have a sex crimes case where a dog may be needed but not accessible,鈥� Becker says. 鈥淚n the past, it was difficult finding a therapy dog that could come in at a moment鈥檚 notice, but now we鈥檒l be readily available for those calls.鈥�
Becker also noted that some therapy dog handlers may not be trained to work with sexual assault survivors 鈥� something Becker has been doing since she joined 麻豆原创PD鈥檚 Criminal Investigations Division in August 2020.
鈥淭hese dogs are great. They鈥檙e cute, they鈥檙e cuddly, and they give victims a lot of comfort,鈥� Becker says. 鈥淏ut they鈥檙e also tools detectives can use to help build and solve cases.鈥�
French Bulldogs are also the new top dogs, according to the American Kennel Club. They were recently named the most popular breed in the United States, ending the Labrador Retriever鈥檚 31-year reign. This doesn鈥檛 come as a surprise to Becker, who has three other Frenchies at home.
鈥淔renchies were literally bred to sit on your lap and sleep,鈥� Becker says. 鈥淭emperament-wise, they鈥檙e the perfect therapy dog and they鈥檙e just so cute!鈥�
Luna will join fellow 麻豆原创PD therapy dog Chipper, a four-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever. But don鈥檛 worry 鈥� Becker says there鈥檚 no bad blood between the two competing breeds, who were both recently .
Although she鈥檚 still in training, Luna is expected to complete her certification at the beginning of 2024. In the meantime, she鈥檒l continue to participate in training classes and get 鈥減aws-on鈥� experience at community events at 麻豆原创.
