Cooper The 911 Dispatch Dog Brings Them Back To Their Baseline

COOPER with his certifications

In a rare tell-all, I sat with Cooper The 911 Dispatch Dog for an exclusive interview and some inside scoop. He tells me about his life as a dispatch dog and his fun trip to Disneyland. I have the opportunity to train with Cooper at Working Dog For Warriors. Don’t miss the video at the end of the interview.

SIR VALENTINO: Can you tell me what your job as a Dispatch Dog actually entails? What’s your day-to-day and your team like?

COOPER: My handler, Korin Peltier, is a 911 dispatcher for fire and medical emergencies. Her dispatch center is located in a firehouse on the third floor. I accompany her to work everyday where I bring joy, comfort, and smiles to her fellow dispatchers along with firefighters and paramedics. First responders are no strangers to difficult and mentally and emotionally draining calls. I am here to help lower their blood pressure, lower their heart rate, and bring them back to their baseline so that our first responders can best help with the next emergency call that comes in. The firefighters are so happy to see me when they come back from running a call. The dispatchers are so happy to have me with them in the dispatch center to provide comfort and warmth after taking a difficult emergency call.

Cooper The 911 Dispatch Dog with his handler Korin Peltie

SIR VALENTINO: How do you see the American dog lifestyle of today?

COOPER: More and more people are owning dogs and treating them like children…as they should! We are their babies! We get to go everywhere with our handlers, sleep on comfy beds, and some of us even eat better than our humans! We are so loved and so lucky!

SIR VALENTINO: What activities do you engage in to relax and/or vacation?

COOPER: I love to nap! I am a HUGE napper. For vacation, I love Disneyland and meeting all the characters. My favorite was Pluto! I even go on some of the rides too. My favorite is the Ariel ride.

Cooper The 911 Dispatch Dog meets Pluto; Disneyland.

SIR VALENTINO: What are your favorite pet lifestyle brands and why?

COOPER: We really love our new One Tigris tactical vest for work. I will be getting my badge pinned at our upcoming ceremony at work and the vest fits my badge really nice. We also like to support small businesses. Shepherd Snuggles has made a lot of our Velcro patches. We love the quality of her designs and how clean they look. Alpha Dog Leashes makes incredible biothane leashes and supports first responders. It may not be considered a pet lifestyle brands but we also have Pets Best Insurance. We highly recommend pet insurance, it can save you money in the long run and help protect your pet.

SIR VALENTINO:  Do you have any beauty tips, that have worked for you, you can pass along to other dogs? Maybe what hasn’t worked.

COOPER: My mom puts a lot of work into my coat. Being a goldendoodle, I am a little high maintenance. She has to brush me just about everyday and she gets me groomed every 4 weeks! We have a few detangler sprays but we haven’t found one we really like. Slicker brushes are great for the doodle fur and help with matts and keeping my fur fluffy!

SIR VALENTINO: How do you see your role in the future?

COOPER: Mine and my handler’s goal is to create a new position in our dispatch center where we can focus on assisting supervisors and admin staff and not be tied to the dispatch floor. We get a lot of requests for Wellness K9 visits and we often can’t make it due to short staffing or I am working night shift so I am asleep during the day. We want to be able to help as many first responders as possible. We want to be the best that we can be, so being able to train more frequently with Working Dogs For Warriors would be ideal to.

SIR VALENTINO:  What organizations do you support and why?

COOPER: Working Dogs For Warriors of course! The WDFW Pack are incredible. They are passionate and dedicated. They want to help first responders and veterans and truly want the best for our K9s and us. We also support The Glendale Fire Foundation. They help my mom fund me. We enjoy supporting local K9, veteran, and first responder organizations as well.

SIR VALENTINO:  What questions do you get asked a lot and what questions do you love and hate getting?

COOPER: We often get asked how often I have to get groomed. We don’t mind getting asked this question. The fact that I get groomed every 4 weeks shows that my mom cares about my health, wellness, and hygiene. We also get asked how much I weigh and if I am done growing. We don’t mind this question either. I weigh 80 pounds and my mom hopes I am done growing haha We don’t have any questions that we have hated. We welcome all questions and love educating people on who I am and what I do.

SIR VALENTINO:  What certifications are needed and how do you stay prepared for your job?

COOPER: My handler is peer support and CISM certified. She also is certified in psychological first aid and pet first aid. I have my CGC, CGC-A, CGC-U, and my Therapy Dog Certification. We train with WDFW every first and third Wednesday. Our goal is to attend more training with WDFW, schedule permitting. My mom and I also train at home. We want to keep both of our abilities strong so that we can be the best that we can be.

Cooper at the Working Dogs For Warriors Training Facility

SIR VALENTINO:  What matters to you most?

COOPER: It is important for us to stay trained. We want to grow individually and together as a K9 team so that we can help our first responders the best we can! We want to help grow our Wellness K9 Program within our department and continue to help support first responders and their wellbeing.

SIR VALENTINO:  Did I forget to ask you anything you would like to share with our readers?

COOPER: Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to share our life with you! We appreciate your support and everything you do for the community!