The City of Portage Police Department wanted to have a dog around the station that could help people in a way other than the role of patrol dogs. Chief Michael “Mike” Candiano expressed his interest in having a therapy dog to brighten up the station and help ease stress or anxiety. After sharing his interest with the station and having conversations with Major Mark Monks, they began looking into finding a trained therapy dog.
Monks discovered that the Valparaiso University Police Department had two therapy dogs they had adopted from an organization out of Brevard County, Florida called Paws and Stripes College. The program, run through the county sheriff’s department, selects dogs from the local shelter and tests them on basic commands and their temperament. If the dog is chosen to continue, it begins a four-month training period where jail officers, canine staff, and selected inmates transform the dog into a productive and inspiring member of an agency’s staff.
“The program is wonderful,” Monks said. “It gives the inmates a skill and purpose, it gets the dogs out of shelters and it helps out police stations, schools, and social work departments by giving them a free resource that they might not have been able to have if there was a cost barrier.”
As the process began, Monks had phone calls with staff of the organization to answer questions about his personal background, the intended use of the dog, his history with dogs, and what breed he might be interested in. From there, they would send photos and videos of dogs that fit his answers to their questions.
“They called and asked me what I thought about blue heelers, and I was hesitant because of their high energy,” Monks said. “They assured me that she knew when it was time to work and when it was time to play. They sent me a bunch of videos of her in training, and I said, ‘Yep, she looks good to me.’ I flew down to Florida and brought her back home with me.”
Tilly came home to Portage with Monks and quickly won over the hearts of everyone who met her.
“She’s famous,” Candiano said. “The kids who have met her at school recognize her on the street. She goes over and visits City Hall. She attends city meetings and hangs out with the attendees.”
Tilly joined the department in March of 2022, and she lives with Monks when she’s off-duty. Some days, Tilly goes to school to see students who are having a rough day. Other days, she chases a ball around the police department and receives attention from anyone who passes her. She has spent afternoons in nursing homes, hospitals, and senior living centers making her rounds to everyone to brighten up the day.
“Each morning that we get to work she runs down to the office of our administrative assistant, Debbie,” Monks said. “She nudges the door open to receive her morning affection and treat. She wanders up the hallway to the offices where she knows she can get a treat before she has the run of the station to do as she pleases.”
Around the city, you can find Tilly on challenge coins that are handed out, on Facebook, at holiday parades, and maybe even in your neighbors’ front yard. Monks and the department have found that children have an easier time opening up to officers about a situation that may have happened to them or involved them if they were given the option to interact with Tilly first. Tilly has made a connection between the police force and the citizens it services simply with her wagging tail and loving temperament.
Monks had two personal dogs at home before bringing Tilly in, but Tilly has fit right into their family dynamic with no hesitations. When Monks isn’t with Tilly, he’s often receiving text messages from his family including pictures of Tilly curled up on the couch, although they are supposed to abide by a “no dogs on the couch” rule.
“It is really such a great program,” Candiano said. “We could have gone out and found a specially trained pure-bred dog, but we took a chance with this program, and it has been a huge success. Then when we tell folks the feel-good story of how we got her, it is a win for everyone.”
For more information about the City of Portage, visit its website at portagein.gov.
