ASTORIA, Ore. (KPTV) – 911 dispatchers face stress and trauma on a daily basis. The dispatch center in Astoria is easing the burden on staff and animal shelters by taking in local dogs looking for permanent homes.
“When you’re on a really bad call and you look over and see a furry friend smiling at you, and you pet them and give them a treat, and they love you back, it takes some of the stress off,” says Jodie Frost, the dispatcher behind Astoria’s new partnership with the Clatsop County Animal Shelter. She has been a police officer for 20 years and responds to emergency calls.
Recently, she and other dispatchers began thinking about getting a therapy dog. As she researched the positive impact pets can have on mental health, she realized that foster care would be the best solution for her and the community as a whole.
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“Knowing what they go through on this side, what the environment is like and how stressful it can be, it just seemed to be a good fit,” said Deputy Justin Dersham.
After 15 years with the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, he became director of the county’s animal shelter and animal control. When Frost proposed a foster program within the operations center, Dersham was on board – not only for the operations center, but for the animal shelter as well.
“We are so busy that we unfortunately have to turn away pets every day,” Dersham said, explaining that the shelter’s 60 kennels have been consistently at capacity over the past year.
In order to remain a no-kill animal shelter, they rely heavily on the care of animals, so every kennel exemption makes a difference.
Dersham added that fostering also helps bring the animals out of their shell so potential families have a better idea of what life with the animal would be like. He said Kalani is a perfect example.
“In the first few days she wasn’t sure will this still be my home?” Frost described.
They said Kalani had been in shelters for a long time — at least six months in Clatsop County and an unknown amount of time in a shelter before that.
Since calling the Astoria Police Department home, Kalani has become a new dog, according to Frost and Dersham.
“She’s raging all the time, especially after the chief takes her out. She comes back and just runs around the operations center because she’s so happy,” Frost said. “I’m really glad we can help them because they help us too… we get a mental relief and they actually do too.”
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24 hours a day, seven days a week, the entire department participates in Kalani’s routine. Kalani has learned that there are treats everywhere, and everyone involved loves it.
“Even after a bad call, I can take her outside, throw a ball, sit in the sun or run around if another dispatcher is here,” Frost said.
“Anything helps,” Dersham added. “It’s not just that one really bad call. Or that one really bad day. Yes, that hurts, it’s awful, you can’t just bounce back. Yes, that can absolutely help. Is it the solution? No. But it’s one of the parts that can help.”
All while posting on social media and putting up flyers in Astoria to find Kalani a permanent home. They describe her as loving and playful, independent but loves having someone around, and an only dog who loves to play with children.
Frost said the community has been very receptive and Kalani has already started meeting families in the three weeks since she arrived at the department. Once she is adopted, Dersham will help find dispatchers another dog that is a good fit for her.
“We’ll get another dog and then prepare her or him for their forever home and do the same thing. I’ll be really sad when she goes because she’s my first… she’s going to make somebody very, very happy,” Frost said emotionally. “I’m really glad I can be a part of her story. And she can be a part of my story.”
If you would like to meet Kalani or learn more about fostering or adopting an animal, contact Clatsop Animal Assistance at 503-861-7387.
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