Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
The Paradise Valley Police Department has welcomed its newest team member, six-month-old Bernedoodle, Pepper.
On Feb. 5, Pepper was sworn in as the department’s first facility dog.
“We have been focusing on personnel health and wellness at the police department and part of that is finding ways to mitigate stress and anxiety that is common in this line of work,” Commander Freeman Carney said. “After research on facility dogs, and all of the benefits that come with them such as decreased stress, decreased absenteeism, and improved mental and emotional health, we decided to look into having our own facility dog join us.”
Mr. Carney says the department looked at and considered many different breeds before eventually landing on the Bernedoodle because it’s known for its intelligence and calm demeanor.
After finding a breeder in Colorado, Rocky Mountain Bernedoodles donated a puppy to the Paradise Valley Police Department due to their support of law enforcement.
“Pepper came to us when she was roughly 10 weeks old and quickly proved to be the highly intelligent, laid back dog we were hoping for,” Mr. Carney said.
She will be tasked with helping mitigate and intervene when she senses police department personnel feeling stressed or anxious, and has been trained to perform deep pressure therapy and behavior interruption.
“Pepper may slowly be introduced to other tasks like attending community events or calls for service where her training can be beneficial to officers and residents,” Mr. Carney said. “She is only six months old so her tasks will be minimal at first so she does not get overwhelmed.”
This is the department’s first facility dog, but they previously had a police K9 named Abbott for many years who worked closely with his handler, Sgt. Don Blume.
Melissa Rosequist Managing Editor | East Valley @mrosequist_
I first started my journalism portfolio at the age of 15 while in high school before going on to study at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Being in the journalism field is the only professional avenue I was ever interested in, and have worked hard covering topics from school boards to hard news while working for the Independent, where I have been awarded for my reporting.