SerpApi.Org
When most people picture a police dog, they imagine a powerful K-9 hound sprinting after fleeing suspects.
But the Hialeah Police Department’s newest four-legged officer has a very different assignment.
Domino, a Bernedoodle who’s almost seven months old, is the department’s first emotional support dog. His job is not to assist with arrests or investigations, but to provide comfort: helping children, crime victims, witnesses, residents experiencing crises and officers dealing with the emotional toll of traumatic incidents.
“He will be there to love people.” Hialeah Police Chief George Fuente said. “If he encounters a child or an elderly person who needs that moment of connection, to reach out and pet the dog, or simply feel better during a difficult time, that is the least we can do.”
Supporting victims
For Officer Lucicarmen Lopez, becoming Domino’s handler wasn’t just another assignment, it was a full-circle moment in a career dedicated to helping people through some of the most traumatic moments of their lives.
“My passion has always been mental health, working with victims and victim advocates,” Lopez said. “Even when I was on patrol, that was always my thing. When something chaotic happened, people would say, ‘We need you.’”
Over the past two decades with the Hialeah Police Department, Lopez has gravitated toward victim-centered work. After starting her career as a public service aide and becoming a police officer in 2006, she spent more than a decade as a patrol officer before joining the Special Victims Unit. She later served as the department’s liaison to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, continuing to work with victims. Altogether, Lopez has spent seven years assigned to special victims and human trafficking investigations.
Throughout that time, Lopez said, she developed a passion for supporting victims and people experiencing trauma, making the emotional support dog program a natural fit.
She said officers and firefighters are often exposed to traumatic situations that can be difficult to process, from violent crimes and accidents to cases involving children and vulnerable victims.
“Throughout the years we’ve been here, the police, and even the firefighters, have understood the nature of our work: the physical, mental and spiritual aspects,” Lopez said. “We deal with things so horrific that the human psyche isn’t really prepared to process them.”
Domino, she said, is another tool to help officers and residents navigate those moments. A Bernedoodle is a crossbreed between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle
The dog can help victims dealing with difficult emotions, provide a sense of calm and help de-escalate stressful situations involving traumatic events.
“These are chaotic scenarios, dealing with victims, special cases, rapes, accidents, things that aren’t normal to witness,” Lopez said. “Every day, this dog will bring a great deal of peace and tranquility.”
Lopez currently serves as Community Outreach and Peer Support Unit as K-9 Officer in the department, where she is the handler for Domino. As a member of the peer support team, she helps fellow officers cope with the emotional and psychological toll of police work while continuing her commitment to victim advocacy and mental health.
The plan
The idea of bringing a therapy dog to the Hialeah Police Department began shortly after Fuente took over the agency in 2022, when Patricia Salgado, at the time a lieutenant, proposed creating a program to support both officers and the community.
Fuente said improving officers’ mental health has been one of his priorities since becoming chief. One of his first initiatives was expanding the department’s peer-support program, with Salgado, now a commander and the department’s Mental Health coordinator, helping lead those efforts.
“I’ve always believed that an officer who feels good, who is comfortable in their job, and maintains a positive mindset will be far more effective in the community,” Fuente said. “It has always been a priority for me, and now, with the donation of Domino, everything is much easier.”
Salgado drafted the policy for a therapy dog program. It took nearly four years for the idea to become reality, as the department developed the program and looked for a donor. The efforts finally came together this year when Hialeah City Councilwoman Gelien Perez donated Domino to the department.
Salgado, who holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy, said emotional support dogs can provide a unique benefit to police departments because of the comfort they offer people during moments of crisis.
“When people are in pain, or crying, or going through a crisis, it’s evidence-based that dogs provide a very soothing, calming presence,” Salgado said.
The need became more evident after the unexpected death of a City Hall colleague on February, a loss that deeply affected employees across the city, Salgado said. During that difficult time, Hialeah turned to the Doral Police Department’s therapy dog, Ginger, for support in comforting grieving family members, friends and coworkers.
Ginger, a 3½-year-old Labradoodle, showed Hialeah officials and the family of the employee the impact a trained therapy dog could have during moments of loss, providing a calming presence and emotional support. The experience reinforced the department’s commitment to creating its own program and eventually led to the arrival of Domino.
Serving the community
Domino joined the department in March, at only eight weeks old, after Perez donated him to the city. He later began the training to become an emotional support dog.
While campaigning for a seat on the Hialeah City Council last year, Perez, who previously served as the city’s Human Resources director until 2022, learned about the police department’s interest in creating a therapy dog program, and she promised, she said, to bring a dog for the department.
Perez told the Herald she donated Domino because she believes emotional health is just as important as physical health and saw an opportunity to bring a resource to the community that could support people during difficult moments.
“An emotional support dog can provide comfort, tranquility and hope to those who need it most, including victims of traumatic situations, our older adults, police officers who face high levels of stress and difficult experiences every day, and others in crisis,” Perez said. “I hope Domino offers companionship, relieves anxiety and reminds people that they are not alone.”
For Hialeah, Domino represents a new kind of police presence, one that is not measured by arrests made or cases solved, but by the comfort provided during some of the hardest moments people face.
Beyond helping during traumatic calls, Lopez, Domino’s handler, said bringing him to a scene represents an effort to show residents a different side of law enforcement, one built around compassion and trust.
“It’s about that communication and empathy with the public,” she said. “It’s about understanding that we are here to help throughout the entire process, from the apprehension of the suspect to the victim advocacy side of things, aspects that people sometimes don’t understand or fail to see.”
