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A Marietta, Georgia, Police Department K-9 recently went above and beyond to help save a woman in the midst of a severe mental health crisis.
K-9 Officer Barney and his handler, Officer Paul Hill, who spend most of their time serving Marietta City elementary schools, were in the right place at the right time when they responded to a distress call on June 7.
On that day, authorities received a report of a woman who had locked herself in a bathroom and was threatening suicide. According to police, the woman’s pastor called 9-1-1 after the woman told him that “she was ready to die.”
The woman, described by police as “extremely distraught,” was in urgent need of assistance. Upon arriving at the scene, Hill and K-9 Barney swiftly assessed the situation.
Following his specialized training as a comfort dog, K-9 Barney sensed the woman’s distress and immediately came to her aid, positioning himself next to the her to provide her with a sense of comfort and solace during her time of need.
The Marietta Police Department said that “Barney’s presence and calming demeanor” allowed the woman to gradually regain composure and begin to relax.
K-9 Barney remained faithfully by the woman’s side for over 45 minutes.
Police officials say that his companionship played a pivotal role in defusing the tension of the situation and enabling the woman to find the strength to seek the help she needed. When the ambulance crew arrived, the woman voluntarily agreed to go to the hospital to receive essential care and support.
“Like cities all across our country, we have seen a notable increase in calls for help related to mental health,” a spokesperson for the department explained on social media. “The addition of K-9 Barney is just one more way Marietta is investing in the mental health of our community. We want to publicly thank everyone who worked to bring Barney here as a new specially trained crisis-response K-9 officer.”
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