National Crisis Response Canine Visits Rutherford County 911 Dispatch Center

Rutherford County – TN (07/15/2024) National Crisis Response Canine in training Huck and handler Andy Garmezy visited the Rutherford County 911 Dispatch Center. 

Garmezy has been on the front lines with first responders during tornadoes in Kentucky and Tennessee, shootings at Covenant School and Uvalde and the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida.  Huck’s father, Cooper was deployed onsite with Garmezy days after the EF-2 tornado on April 1, 2023 decimated Readyville, Tennessee.  

This visit was to check on the ones that interact with the community and are the first of first responders and provide a special hello and encouragement.   

“They say all dogs are Therapy Dogs.  The majority of them are just freelancing,” said Communications Assistant Director RCEMA Communications Suzie Cunningham. “Sometimes the best therapist has fur and four legs.”

According to Cunningham’s research therapy and support animals in 911 can lower blood pressure, decrease anxiety, improve mood and foster feelings of support and confidence in humans.  Other benefits include better attendance, emotional health, physical health, stress and anxiety relief, help with peer support and debriefings, calm and inviting work environment, promotes teamwork, beneficial recruitment and community outreach, helps with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and brings awareness to Public Safety and 911 professionals.  

“They never self-deploy because they don’t want to get in the way,” Garmezy said.  “Huck should be certified in September. He is going through all of the drills and I’m trying to get him to experience different situations.  People open up and share their feelings around dogs.  It starts the healing process. Every deployment has a takeaway and shows the power of the human/canine bond and what it is capable of.  Dogs were put on this earth to help people.”

There are 152 crisis dogs in this volunteer organization.  More information about National Crisis Response Canines can be found at https://crisisresponsecanines.org/.