TOLEDO, Ohio — There will soon be a new K-9 officer roaming the halls of ProMedica Toledo Hospital, providing protection and comfort to visitors and patients.
Sonar is a two-year-old German Shepherd Dog. He'll join K-9 Jozef Creed (known as "JC") on security detail at the medical facility in about four weeks.
ProMedica Security Administrative Director, Brad Conner explained the importance of having two K-9 officers. "With one K-9, we don't have the coverage of this campus that we think that we need."
Sonar will join JC, but the K-9 officers will work different shifts with their handlers. Their job is dual-purpose, as they serve on campus to help protect patients and employees, and also are there to offer support to patients - specifically young children.
"They're in a space that's unfamiliar to them, in a space that's often scary to them. To see a dog just walking down the hall and into their room, it's just really awesome to see," Conner said.
Both K-9s are trained in tracking, firearms detection and comforting patients and staff. Conner said that the presence of the K-9 officers helps to deter crime inside the hospital.
ProMedica added JC in January as their first dual-purpose K-9 and is looking to add a third four-legged member to the security staff in early 2021. The cost for each K-9 is around $15,000-$18,000, according to Conner, factoring in the price of specialized out-of-state training for both the K-9 officer and the handler.