Albuquerque Fire Rescue (AFR) has four more paws on the ground in the form of Wrigley, a 2-year-old Labradoodle, who joined the department's Home Engagement and Alternative Response Team (H.E.A.R.T.) last year.
AFR's H.E.A.R.T. program, which identifies repeat 911 EMS callers and connects them to appropriate medical and social services, started in summer 2018, and Wrigley, AFR's crisis response canine, has been doing client visits for about three months as a team member in the H.E.A.R.T. program and the community paramedic division, according to a feature published last week by KOB4.
"Now that’s a good dog!," Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller said in a Wednesday, June. 28, Twitter post. "Dog Wrigley and the HEART team at @abqfire
Wrigley, Albuquerque Fire Rescue's crisis response canine, has been doing client visits for about three months.
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are making a difference in the lives of folks who need help with addiction and mental health."
"And we go out and meet with folks that are struggling with addictions or complex medical conditions," Lt. Jake Gray, Wrigley's handler, told KOB 4.
Wrigley joined AFR late last year, thanks in part to several grants obtained by Gray, according to the department's annual report for 2020. that allowed the fire and rescue department to develop a program to add a service dog to H.E.A.R.T.
"Because of COVID, there were several delays in getting the program up and running and in December, our service dog Wrigley finally joined the team to complete the training," the annual report said. "Moving forward, Wrigley will assist with H.E.A.R.T. client visits as well as participate in critical incident stress debriefings for firefighters."
In addition to doing her job in the H.E.A.R.T. program, Wrigley has become something of a public relations asset. On April 1, Wrigley’s first appointment at Arfin’ Annie’s Pet Salon AFR posted a photo of her on their Facebook page along with thank yous for the pet salon, Assistance Dogs of the West, Albuquerque Community Foundation and Albuquerque Area Firefighters IAFF Local 244.
AFR posted another photo of Wrigley on April 30 to mark National Therapy Animal Day.
Wrigley is making a real difference, Gray told KOB 4.
"We've visited with people that were unwilling to go into rehab or detox for the addiction they're struggling with," Gray said. "After 45 minutes of visiting with Wrigley and playing out in the yard, they came up to us and said, 'I'm ready to go.'"