Join Kathy Morgan, Associate Professor of Psychology for an upcoming Faculty Research Talk, Healing Dakota: A Story of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Working Dogs.

Presenters will begin by discussing their topic, and each session will close with a question and answer segment. All presentations are virtual and free and the Zoom link will be sent the day before this discussion.

An estimated 50,000 working dogs are deployed in law enforcement in the US, most of whom are routinely exposed to dangerous and stressful conditions as a daily part of their jobs. Just as with humans, some individuals are resilient in the face of such stress, but others are not so fortunate, and become so overwhelmed by anxiety that they become dangerous and no longer deployable. In this talk, I will talk about recognizing signs of stress in dogs, and reading dog behaviors that can sometimes be quite subtle, but whose understanding can help prevent canine aggression. Using K9 Officer Dakota and his story as a case study, I will also present a brief history of dogs in law enforcement, and talk about my work and the work of Wheaton College students at the K9 PTSD Center in Seekonk, a nonprofit dedicated to the rehabilitation of law enforcement working dogs with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their time in service.

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