PAD Provides Facility Dog To Officer

In the summer of 2021, Joe Capers, a resource officer for the Camp Hill School District, contacted Linzey Zoccola, founder of Phoenix Assistance Dogs (PAD) in Lititz, about the possibility of finding a facility dog to accompany him on his rounds of four schools and to serve as a community outreach dog for the Camp Hill Police Department.

"I thought of Gibbs right away," said Zoccola of the then 6-month-old golden retriever being raised by volunteer Molly McGovern. A year later, Gibbs began training with Capers the week of July 18.

Zoccola chose Gibbs for the job based on his outgoing personality and low-key disposition. "He has a really strong social desire," said Zoccola, who noted that she selects dogs for assignments in accordance with their strengths rather than trying to change their natural inclinations. "If a dog wants to interact, and we have introduced him to impulse control, I want to give him that type of career," explained Zoccola, who pointed out that Gibbs functions well with children and with crowds. "(Crowds) don't make him nervous," she said.

McGovern introduced Gibbs to a number of types of social situations, including children's birthday parties, but his crowd exposure was somewhat limited due to COVID-19 restrictions when he was a pup. As Gibbs transitioned to working with Capers, he visited parks, libraries, and events to give him further training.

Before meeting Gibbs, Capers completed bookwork and videos as assigned by Zoccola to prepare him to work with his new partner. Gibbs went to work with Capers on July 25, patrolling Camp Hill's high school and middle school, along with Eisenhower and Hoover elementary schools. Capers was looking forward to introducing Gibbs to the school cafeteria and its many distractions. In addition to patrolling the buildings, Gibbs will be available for children to read to and to help calm students in potentially volatile situations once school begins.

Capers also planned to take the dog to National Night Out on Aug. 2, where Gibbs would begin his work in community outreach. Gibbs will also attend parades and other gatherings. "(He will go) anywhere he can bridge the gap between the community and the police department," said Capers.

Zoccola explained that it was important to Camp Hill Chief Stephen Margeson that the community know that Gibbs will never be trained to search for drugs or bombs or to pursue criminals. "His job is to assist Joe with his job," noted Terri Willner, a PAD program trainer. "So (Gibbs) will be able to be petted by people."

Readers who would like to learn more may visit http://padcentral.org or search for "Phoenix Assistance Dogs" on Facebook.