Mauldin City Council approved a new member of the police department on Monday night’s regular called City Council meeting.
The Mauldin Police Department asked the council to approve funds needed to add a therapy dog to their team. The department said a study they did showed that a therapy dog could help them serve the community. The dog would help officers in critical situations and attend community events like school visits.
The council approved the funds by a vote of 5-1 during their meeting. The funds will all come from donations and help the department pay for the dog’s food and vet visits.
Corporal Harley Sefcik said at the meeting, “We have to regain the trust of the community, so having this dog there, it has been proven time and time again, that people will open up to the dogs because they’ll sit down with them, they’ll pet them, they’ll play with them and that generally helps someone open up. So that will help us investigate a serious situation even better.”
The dog is being donated by Lesia’s Goldendoodles in Charleston and will arrive at the end of April. Want to help name the dog? Head over to the Mauldin Police Department’s Facebook to cast your vote! Voting ends Monday, March 28 at 5 p.m.
