March 14, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Opry, a mixed-breed rescue pup hailing from Texas, recently joined the Hingham Police Department as a comfort dog to promote wellness and healing in the community.
In a Twitter post, Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz said, "Please paws to meet Opry!" and went on to say that in her role as a comfort dog, Opry "will also console child victims of abuse at the [Brockton] Children's Advocacy Center," which helps promote children’s safety, health, and well-being in a child-friendly environment.
Opry, who will celebrate her first birthday on March 20, was bred specifically for comfort dog work and to be gentle and docile. She was donated to HPD by PAWS New England and funded through a Plymouth County District Attorney's Office grant.
Opry lives with her handler, Hingham High School Resource Officer Thomas Ford, and his family.
"Opry will be a community-wide resource and will have a broad skill set in how to handle stress in children and adults who are going through traumatic incidents, police officers, town employees, and others in stressful situations," Ford told the Hingham Anchor. "She will be servicing the community nights, weekends, and at other times and will be present at some community events."
HPD Chief David Jones said he's excited to be able to welcome Opry as the newest department member. "We are proud to be joining with many other police departments in our area that offer this type of benefit to our communities," he told the Hingham Anchor. "Her temperament is uniquely suited for her new role as a comfort dog, and she will be a tremendous asset to help in our community engagement initiatives as well as being able to be called upon as a calming presence to help victims of trauma or those in crisis."
Opry is also available to visit schools, assisted living communities, and other locations upon request.
"Opry will provide a comforting, calming presence during stressful incidents and will promote positive and meaningful interactions [with the Hingham Police Department]," Ford said.
Opry has been in training for the past nine months and has completed multiple courses in obedience through Donna Do Right's Professional Dog Training in Norwell.
She has also completed many hours of exposure training in various social settings and recently received her American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizenship certification. Opry is currently completing a Therapy Dog Training workshop and certification with the Cohasset Working Dog Foundation.
All Opry's care and training are through private funding and donations. Checks to help support Opry made out to the "Hingham Police Department Comfort Dog Program" are welcome, Ford said.
Jones expressed appreciation to Cruz and his staff for their generous donation to get this program off the ground in Hingham and also to Ford for his efforts. "Officer Ford’s commitment is to be commended, as he spent countless hours of his own time on training and caring for Opry," he said.
In a press release, Cruz noted that Opry is the first-ever comfort dog to serve with the Hingham Police "and is a great addition to the Department and to the Hingham Community. . . . Opry has developed a comforting presence and commands smiles wherever she goes," he said.