When you think of a police dog, you typically picture a big dog, like a German Shepherd or a Doberman. But one little pup is proving that little dogs can also make great police dogs.
This dog, a four-month-old Chihuahua named Zorro, has already proven that he’s an amazing K9!
Marblehead, Ohio police chief Casey Joy decided to adopt Zorro after seeing him on Petfinder. Zorro was displaced during Hurricane Florence, and he was living in a foster home. Joy immediately fell in love with Zorro, and he contacted the pup’s foster parents.
Joy went to see Zorro, and it was love at first sight!
Zorro quickly proved that he was a sweet, friendly dog who got along with everyone. Zorro immediately bonded with Joy’s other dog, a service dog who detects Joy’s son’s seizures.
“He’s very intelligent, very smart. He was housebroken within three days,” Joy told The Port Clinton News Herald. “The way he was interacting with my son made me want to transition him into helping better the lives of the people.”
Joy’s family adored Zorro, and Joy knew his fellow police officers and his community would also love the little dog. And so, Joy decided to make Zorro an official K9!
Joy shared a photo of Zorro getting sworn in on the Marblehead Police Department’s Facebook page. It quickly went viral, receiving thousands of shares and likes.
Joy often takes Zorro out on patrol with him. Zorro loves riding in the police car, and he also enjoys interacting with people in the community.
Joy explained that Zorro is also being trained to be a Certified K9 Therapy dog. Joy will then take him to visit elderly people in retirement homes near Marblehead.
“The main goal for him doing that type of work is to bring joy to the elderly residents that sometimes leave their homes and have pets that they’ve had for years and years and can’t bring with them and miss the compassion they had with the animal,” Joy said.
According to the Alliance of Therapy Dogs’ rules, Zorro can’t take the test to become a therapy dog until he’s a year old. But even though Zorro isn’t an official therapy dog yet, he’s still doing a good job helping the community.
“When we’re out on patrol, if we see kids playing on the side of the road, stuff like that, we’ll stop, meet them and try to spread some joy and cheer in people’s lives,” Joy said.
Zorro has also had a positive impact on the police officers at the Marblehead Police Department. Zorro helps the officers relax after a stressful day, and the officers love giving him treats.
Zorro is a sweet dog who is doing great work as a K-9! We’re so glad Zorro has found such a great place to call home.
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