Carin Cardella
“I wish I could pet your dog.”
PFC Anthony Summers hears those words countless times throughout his day as he walks across the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) campus with his K9, Poe. But Poe isn’t a traditional police dog. He’s a comfort K9. “You can pet him!” Summers, Poe’s handler, replies happily.
Poe, a 5-year-old Great Dane mix, is the third comfort K9 for UMB Police and Public Safety. The department’s first dog, Lexi, joined the department in June 2019. She was just the third university police department comfort K9 in the nation at the time. Now, dozens of universities have welcomed therapy dogs onto their campuses.
“The program is right in line with our University’s core values,” says Thomas Leone, MSL, assistant vice president for public safety and chief of police. “Poe can improve our community’s well-being by just showing up. That’s pretty amazing.”
Comfort K9s, or therapy dogs, are trained to provide stress relief and affection to people dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, or mental illness. Whether it’s a student studying for exams, an employee on a project deadline, or a community member going through a difficult time, Poe and Summers are there to help.
“Poe is not only the unofficial mascot of our campus here in Baltimore, he’s a cherished member of the community,” says Tyler Mazur, a University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law student who earned his JD this spring. “Growing up with dogs, I have always appreciated the positive impact that they can have on mental health and quality of life. Poe is a dog that fills that space in our hearts — especially in this fast-paced environment. I am always as thrilled to see him as he is to see me. He shows his excitement with lots of love and tail-wagging!”
Making Officers More Approachable
This year, UMB Police and Public Safety is celebrating 50 years since police officers joined the department in 1975. The department’s first K9 joined the department in 1977. Smoke, an 18-month German shepherd, was donated to the police department after it put an ad in the University newsletter seeking a dog. Smoke and his handler, Officer J.K. Davis Jr., went through K9 training together with the Baltimore Police Department.
While both police dogs have served UMB, their missions differ: Smoke was used to help deter crime, and Poe is a part of the department’s Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST), helping to build positive relationships with the University community and beyond.
“Historically, seeing a dog with a police officer was a reason not to approach,” Leone says. “We’re changing that narrative.”
Summers agrees. “Poe provides an opportunity to connect with our community,” he says. “There are patches for his vest that say, ‘Pet me.’ You see people light up. And that makes me more approachable as a police officer.”
All of UMB’s comfort K9s have come from Paws and Stripes College, a program run by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Florida. Shelter dogs at a significant risk of being euthanized are paired with inmates for eight weeks and go through basic obedience training. When he traveled to meet Poe, Summers said he received in-depth training.
“I learned how to read people, how to identify people’s feelings, and also how to identify Poe’s mood. A lot of people don’t understand that he has a mood as well,” Summers says. “He may be tired. I have to be the one to notice that and let him rest.”
Life at Home
The K9 handler has a lot of experience getting to know his pup. Poe lives at home with Summers and his family — including his wife, small children, and a Yorkshire Terrier.
“Poe’s a bigger, younger dog who wants to play, and my Yorkie is a smaller, older dog who’s like, ‘I don’t have time for this,’ ” Summers jokes. Now, he says they get along well, often laying next to each other or eating together.
When that “Pet me” vest comes off, Poe turns into a normal dog. “When the squirrels come out, he’s running up and down the yard, excited, bounding around,” Summers says. “But that type of behavior might frighten someone, so he knows when to turn down the energy.”
Poe knows when he’s working. When he puts the vest on, Summers says he goes into a state of calm. Poe has learned when he can approach (if someone puts their hand out to him) and how to make people feel comfortable if they may be wary of a dog.
“He’ll probably lean his back against you,” Summers says. “That way, his face is not toward you, because people might find it intimidating to have a dog’s face near them.”
These subtle nuances are what make Poe such a great comfort K9.
Comforting Emergency Responders
Summers says he decided to apply to be a comfort K9 handler after learning the impact they can have on people. Between his crisis intervention training and a new comfort dog by his side, Summers knew he could have an impact on the community he serves at UMB and beyond. The pair have responded to support emergency responders to the Key Bridge collapse, Baltimore City Fire Department line-of-duty deaths, and community violence in Brookyln, Md.
“For some people, it’s harder to talk to a person than it is to open up with a dog,” Summers says. “I’m always happy to talk with people, but Poe and I are here for whatever you need, whatever way you need it. If you just need time with the dog and you don’t want to talk with a person, then we’re happy to bring that. I don’t take any offense.”
On an average day, the duo wake up in the morning and go for a quick walk so they can focus before heading to campus. When they arrive at UMB, they head to the Community Outreach Police Station, or “COPS Shop,” located at 700 W. Pratt St. Poe gets to rest while Summers heads to his post — an important role for police officers to increase visibility, especially during the morning and evening commute. Then, the pair hits the road.
“We go and visit the buildings, try to catch people coming in, try to start their day off right,” says Summers. Around lunchtime, Poe gets to take his own mental health break before heading back out. Then, they head home. “Once we get home, it’s all him. The vest comes off. We let him run around the yard for a little bit. He plays with the family and gets some treats. That’s it for the day for him.”
Call on Poe
Poe’s handler knows that people have different types of stress and different reasons to need a little extra love. You don’t need any justification to request a visit with Poe.
“You can just wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning and feel as though the day isn’t going your way. Call us. You could have had an interaction with your co-worker and you feel upset about it. Call us. You feel like that professor isn’t treating you right or you feel like everybody is against you and you don’t have anybody to talk to. Call us! Whatever the need is, whatever the stress is that you’re feeling, call us, and we’ll be happy to come.”
Both Smoke and Poe started as strays but came to serve an important role at UMB Police and Public Safety. Their handlers made the dogs a part of their family. They’re partners, day and night.
“I love dogs,” Summers. “They told me they would pay me to have the dog, and I said, ‘I would have done it for free!’ ”
