Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy Kerri Oman poses with Burton, the agency's first comfort dog, at OPB before an appearance on "Think Out Loud" on June 7, 2024. Burton helps comfort victims of trauma and law enforcement personnel as part of a peer support program within the department.
Sheraz Sadiq / OPB
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Deputy Kerri Oman has a renewed sense of purpose these days after nearly 20 years on the force.
“Not to say I was burnt out or whatever, but it’s a long time in a career and I wake up excited and happy to go to work,” she said.
Oman credits her “new spark” to Burton who, with his tail wagging and tongue lolling, reports to work each day by her side. In May, the 85-pound, longhaired German Shepherd was officially sworn-in as the department’s first comfort dog.
Unlike other police canines and service dogs that wear vests warning people not to touch them, Burton’s vest says “Please Pet Me.” He lives with Oman, his handler, who leapt at the chance to apply for the position when the comfort dog program was getting off the ground last year.
Unlike other working dogs, the vest Burton wears when he's on duty let's people know they can pet him. Burton accompanied his handler, Deputy Kerri Oman, for an interview on "Think Out Loud" to talk about the new comfort dog program at the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office on June 7, 2024.
Sheraz Sadiq / OPB
“We recognized the need to amp up our wellness program and dogs being part of that is becoming more and more popular, not just in our metro area but around the country in law enforcement agencies,” she said. “I just thought this is like a dream job for me, coming to work every day but bringing my dog with me. I will say when he gets home from work, he’s exhausted and he goes and takes a nap on the couch.”
Burton was donated to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office by Working Dogs Oregon, a Portland-based nonprofit that trains and donates dogs to law enforcement agencies across the state and military veterans suffering from PTSD. The dogs provide an array of services, from tracking missing persons to capturing criminal suspects or, in the case of comfort dogs, providing solace to victims of trauma and first responders struggling with work-related stress.
Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy Kerri Oman poses with Burton, the agency's first comfort dog, at Willamette Park in Portland on June 7, 2024. Burton helps comfort victims of trauma and law enforcement personnel as part of a peer support program within the department.
Sheraz Sadiq / OPB
“Burton would never be a track-and-capture dog.” said Darin Campbell, the executive director of Working Dogs Oregon. “If you’re talking about victims, you’re talking about first responders who just went through very traumatic incidents … to have that calm presence, that’s just going to be there present with that individual, that’s what we need in a dog like Burton and he brings it at the top level.”
Comfort dog training requires exposure to diverse situations, stimuli and strangers who may not be on their best behavior.
“We go into Old Town Portland on the weekends when the Portland Police entertainment detail comes in and shuts down the streets,” Campbell said.
“You get to see everything from drunk college students to the gang element, to the homeless element, to the drug addiction element, to loud bars.”
“I’m trying to see what he’s going to react to and Burton reacted to nothing and that’s what I want … because you never know what Kerri is going to come across in any given day on one of her shifts and you can’t get a dog that’s going to cower in the backseat and not want to come out.”
Burton, a 3 year-old, longhaired German Shepherd, is a comfort dog with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. He appeared with his handler, Deputy Kerri Oman, who was interviewed about the department's new comfort dog program on "Think Out Loud" at OPB on June 7, 2024.
Sheraz Sadiq / OPB
Oman recently got a call asking for Burton’s help after an elementary school had gone on lockdown. Even though the immediate safety threat had been cleared, students were still shaken by the experience.
“And I’m telling you, I was having kindergartners and first graders who were in a lockdown school situation where their classroom doors were locked and they couldn’t leave telling me that this was the best day ever because they got to pet him,” she said.
But perhaps the bigger impact Burton is having can be felt closer to home where the work culture may make it hard to ask for emotional support and healing. “I think that people are just more at ease around a dog,” Oman said. “And I’ve seen some of the toughest, strongest deputies that I know turn into a ball of mush playing on the ground with him.”
Multnomah County Sheriff's Deputy Kerri Oman poses with Burton, the agency's first comfort dog, at OPB before an appearance on "Think Out Loud" on June 7, 2024. Burton helps comfort victims of trauma and law enforcement personnel as part of a peer support program within the department.
Sheraz Sadiq / OPB
“The wellness programs across the country are designed for that big, bad, tough police officer that’s always got that shield on to get them to drop down a little bit and be willing to start talking,” Campbell said.
Burton is the 10th comfort dog Campbell and his team of volunteers have trained and donated to law enforcement agencies in Oregon, with more on the way.
“We have six puppy raisers that are raising puppies for the next generation to come. And I’ve got five at my house right now. So we’re constantly bringing up the next Burton.”
Darin Campbell and Kerri Oman spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation:
