For the first time ever, the Meriden Police Department has a service dog on its team.
The addition of K9 John to the team was made possible through Puppies Behind Bars, a non-profit that teaches prisoners how to train service dogs as young as 8 weeks old.
Officer Stephanie Masella with Meriden PD applied and was accepted to the Puppies Behind Bars program, where she was trained on how to handle John, by prisoners in a maximum-security prison in New York.
“It humanized both of us in so many ways, they knew they were training these dogs to go to law enforcement,” Masella said.
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Masella underwent a 16-day training with John and his puppy-handler, Jason.
She said it was especially rewarding to work with Jason and observe the special bond between him and the K9.
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“You could see the love that John had for Jason and it was amazing, and at the same difficult knowing I was going to take this dog (John) from him but he always told me, 'Getting to you know, I’m glad because I know where he’s going and I know he’s going to be well taken care of.'”
Masella added the program was not only rewarding for her but believes it's a positive experience for the inmates as well.
“It gives them a sense of responsibility, a sense of giving back to society, it just helps them grow as individuals but also shows them that police officers are humans.”
As the department's first service dog, K9 John’s job is to keep officers at ease and help build bonds with the community.
“It's so rewarding to see how much he lights up the room and how much it means to people that he's there,” said Masella.
