Facility Dog Program comes to an end at Hanford Police Department

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- For two years, Penny and Bebe were part of the Hanford Police Department's Facility Dog Program, providing joy and comfort for employees and the community.

On Monday, the City announced the program has come to an end.

That means the labradoodle and goldendoodle will no longer serve the department and the contract with their trainer has also ended.

The news comes after Hanford Police Chief Stephanie Huddleston conducted a comprehensive review of the program.

It found more than $30,000 in taxpayer funds were used for various program costs.

Two generous donations were also made. However, the city says that is still not enough to sustain the program in the future.

"It is sad to see that the situation is not continuing, but I'm not sure what is happening on the backend. I do know the community liked the dogs, the community loved the dog, and the handlers were good handlers," says Matthew Corso, the CEO and Co-founder of California Service Dog Academy in Visalia.

He says training for a service dog can cost up to $25,000 but it may be less for "facility" or "community" dogs.

Corso's research based non-profit is mostly government and grant funded. The academy provides service dogs to veterans - and offers training for local emotional support dogs.

"It is important that these animals exist in the community. It's beyond just what it does for one person. It's the ripple effect that the dog has on the community even if it's a service animal, serving one person, the ripple effect that might have on them, their family, and all the people that they've touched," explains Corso.

Trainer Emily Seratte believes community dogs can help improve one's mental health, which is often a concern among first responders who deal with trauma as part of their daily jobs.

"Just switching careers for me made a big difference so I can imagine how beneficial it would be to have a dog in those environments," mentions Emily.

In a statement, which can be found here, The City of Hanford describes ending the program as a difficult decision.

The city of Hanford asked both donors if they would allow their contributions to be used for the police department's K-9 program instead. One of them, FAST Credit Union, agreed.

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