A Shelter Rescue Dog Now Part Of Eatontown Police

EATONTOWN, NJ — There's a new cadet in the Eatontown Police Department: She's Tala and she's a purebred husky from the Monmouth County SPCA.

This winter, the Monmouth County SPCA began a pilot program where they place shelter dogs with local police departments to serve as emotional support animals. This has already been launched in Secaucus since June, where a police officer has been bringing in his golden retriever to be used, for example, to comfort children when police respond to domestic violence situations.

The Eatontown Police Department were the first to volunteer to get a dog from the county SPCA.

“It is really such a simple concept when you think about it," said Eatontown Police Chief Bill Lucia. "Anybody can have a dog at home, but having a dog at work has proven to be very impactful in assisting officers coping with stressful situations. It has also had a significant impact on the overall morale of the department.”

Eatontown officers say having Tala at headquarters has been extremely valuable. A few times per week, officers will return from high-stress calls and seek out Tala for comfort, they said.

"Tala allows the officers to relax and de-stress in a way that they may not even realize, while not drawing attention to themselves," said Chief Lucia. "Nobody thinks twice about an officer taking a dog for a walk, but that walk allows them to clear their head, calm down, or just escape for a little bit. It’s also great for the dogs because we can provide older dogs that are usually harder to adopt a great home. It really is a win-win.”

Tala, a purebred husky, came to the Monmouth County SPCA after she was originally rescued from a hoarding farm in the south. Tala lived outdoors, with dozens of other dogs and rarely had the opportunity to interact with humans. Tala’s life changed forever when she arrived in New Jersey and met Chief Lucia.

Tala has no formal service training (yet), so don't expect her to sniff out drugs, locate a bomb or take down a suspect: She is not a trained police K9. But what she can do is comfort a child if police are called to the home for domestic violence, or if there is a fire. She can cheer up senior citizens and greet the public at street fairs, in parks and other community events in town.

If you stop by the Eatontown police station, you can usually catch Tala running up and down the hallways, taking long walks with her officer friends, or politely asking for treats with the signature husky “AH-WOOO" — anyone who's owned a husky knows what that sounds like.

“We are tremendously proud to launch this program that not only gives a home and family to a shelter dog, but also supports our local police," said Monmouth County SPCA executive director Ross Licitra." We are hopeful for this program to grow into many successful, mutually beneficial relationships.”

After hearing of the success of the Tala at the Eatontown station, other Monmouth County Chiefs and Police Departments have already expressed interest in the program. If a police department would like to take on a shelter dog, they are welcomed to call the Monmouth SPCA for more information about the placement program by emailing [email protected] or calling 732-542-0040, ext. 7. The SPCA is especially looking to place older dogs with police departments.

Related: Secaucus Police Start Using Therapy Dog Oakley In Patrol Duties (July 2020)