For Immediate Release
January 19, 2022
Contact:
Samantha Reif
978-658-5071
sreif@wpd.org
Wilmington, MA – Chief Joseph Desmond is excited to announce the newest addition to the Wilmington Police Department – Zena. Zena is an 11-week-old Bernedoodle who is joining the Health & Recovery Unit to aid residents of Wilmington who have struggles with mental health, substance use, other behavioral health – or are just having a hard day. Zena loves bringing smiles to faces, letting new friends pet her, and learning new things. Zena has started basic training and over the next year will be engaged in extensive training in order to become a Therapy Dog.
Zena has an excited but calm temperament, loves meeting new friends, and has recently learned about her love of snow and chasing leaves in the wind. Zena was individually selected out of hundreds of dog breeds due to the good nature and learning ability of Bernedoodles. She is hypoallergenic and does not shed – making her a perfect pup to aid people’s wellbeing without leaving her hair behind as evidence. Zena’s mother is a Bernese Mountain Dog and her father is a Poodle, and was 1 of 11 litter mates. Zena has quickly learned the basics already – “sit”, “lay”, “touch” (aka “come”), and is currently working on “stay”. Zena has already provided lots of smiles and joy to her co-workers at the station and is looking forward to making more.
Zena’s handler, Samantha Reif, our in-house social worker, will be attending all courses with Zena to create a respected relationship between the two. Zena and Samantha will be exploring different parts of town over the next year as part of Zena’s exposure and socialization training – if you see them be sure to stop and say hello!
We are thankful to be able to have the opportunity to expand our services with a Therapy Dog. This initiative is made possible by a generous donation from the International Family Church.
Welcome to the WPD Zena!
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