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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING <br />Monday, February 12, 2018 <br />7:00 o'clock p.m. <br />11. APPROVAL OF COMMUNITY SERVICE DOG (K-9) <br />Chief Farniok stated he would like to present a proposal to the City Council to proceed with a partnership <br />between Can Do Canine and the Orono Police Department to establish a Community Service K-9 <br />program. <br />The Orono Police Department has made it a goal to integrate creative and functional ways to engage the <br />community. Farniok explained a community service dog is different than the standard police K-9 drug <br />detection and apprehension dogs. Community service dogs are similar to household pets that are <br />specifically tested and trained for socialization. These dogs are meant for large gatherings and meeting <br />many people without the worries of it being a danger to the public. The dogs help de-escalate situations <br />such as mental health crises, domestic disputes, car accidents, medicals, juvenile situations at the schools <br />and many more. <br />Farniok stated Can Do Canines would provide the dog to the City of Orono at no charge but there would <br />be some costs associated with medical and veterinarian expenses, food and treats, squad setup, and other <br />miscellaneous costs. Those costs are anticipated to be around $2,500 per year. <br />Officer Stansek stated they looked at a number of different programs and were fortunate to have found <br />Can Do Canines. There will be one main handler with two other officers that would act as assistant <br />handlers. Xerxes is the name of the dog that will be given to the Orono Police Department. <br />Al Peters, Executive Director and founder of Can Do Canines, stated this is a somewhat unusual situation <br />in that they normally place dogs with people who have disabilities. Can Do Canines is a nonprofit <br />charity. It costs more than $25,000 to train each dog. Peters indicated they have placed dogs at the Mayo <br />Clininc, state mental hospital, and at different schools to work with autistic children. Xerxes has been <br />trained to do different things to assist the officers. One of the main things is to help calm people down <br />and they also sit down and listen to someone reading a book. <br />Mayor Walsh commended Mr. Peters for the service he provides, especially given the costs associated <br />with training the dogs. <br />Peters stated they typically do not do this for public organizations without charging for the dog and that <br />they are hoping there will be public support and donations generated by this. Peters stated if people are <br />interested in donating, they can go to candocanines.org. <br />Mayor Walsh commented he has started to see at different airports petting dogs to help calm people <br />down. <br />Peters stated the dogs can be a calming spirit. Peters stated it is tough to be a police officer and that in his <br />view it will be good to have the dog around the police station to help the officers deal with difficult <br />situations and alleviate some of their stress. Peters noted Shannon with Can Do Canines will be working <br />with the officers to help train the dog. <br />Shannon stated Xerxes has gone through three years of training to become a service dog. The focus of the <br />training is on obedience and tricks that they can perform. The training will allow children and vulnerable <br />adults the ability to interact with the dog. Xerxes was raised in the Duluth Correctional Institute his first <br />Page 2 of 22 <br />