SEATTLE, Wash. — There’s a special member of the Seattle Police Department, dedicated to providing comfort to people going through difficult times.
His name is Ryan and he’s a 4 ½-year-old yellow English Labrador Retriever who works closely with Detective Waldorf.
He arrived in Seattle in 2022 from a New York organization called America’s Vet Dogs, and the department says he just had his busiest month yet.
According to the department, Ryan’s work assignment is to give comfort to those going through the criminal justice process related to sexual assault and child abuse investigations.
In January, the department says Ryan comforted victims during two adult interviews and four child interviews, played with a 6-year-old for three hours while officers were interviewing their parent, and supported two children at the courthouse between their testimony.
In total, Ryan has participated in more than 75 incidents supporting adults and children.
When not actively providing support to those in our community, Seattle police says Ryan can be found sleeping under his assigned detective’s desk, typically snoring. His loving presence in the office also helps the detectives who are investigating difficult cases.
“When he’s off-duty, Ryan relaxes at home with another dog friend and a very playful cat, and he’s such a good boy,” Seattle police said.
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