ISU Police Department introduces a new therapy dog to campus

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State Police Department has introduced its new therapy dog, Pawfficer Korg, to ISU’s campus.

Following his predecessor Pawfficer Sage, Korg’s main job is to support students and faculty on campus with transitional and emotional needs.  

“Pawfficer Korg’s job is simply to make people smile. He helps people get through stressful moments, traumatized moments, things like that, and he really does a great job at helping people find happiness,” ISU PD Sergeant Michael Gardner said. “He loves and he just wants to be loved.”

Korg can help with a wide range of needs as a trained therapy dog. He is originally from a service dog organization called SIT (Supporting Independence Through Teamwork), and receives about 1,200 hours of training for the first year and a half of his life.

“They know that we’re looking for a dog that’s well tempered, that is able to follow commands, that’s not going to scare people, doesn’t bark excessively, those kinds of things,” Sgt. Gardner said. “So, they actually do most of the selecting for us and they say, ‘this is the dog for you,’” 

Korg has nearly fifteen handlers in the ISU PD, which makes up nearly half of the department. The handler position is voluntary and it allows the handler to take Korg around as well as provide opportunities and support for his audience.

“Because he’s a facility dog, there’s benefit to having that animal in the department to help us feel less stressed- not just officers, but anyone that works in our department,” Sgt. Gardner said.

 Korg is a resource for all on campus, including those in the department that work alongside him. He lives in the police department, and can be visited during regular business hours with no appointment necessary.