A special ceremony last week in Nashville honored Sergeant Bo, a therapy dog owned by a retired police officer. He received the American Humane Society’s 2025 Hero Dog Award for his role in comforting people during difficult times.
Bo isn’t a traditional police dog, he serves as a comfort animal, helping people cope with emotional stress. It’s work he started after a school tragedy in March 2023.
Students who lived through the event say that the dogs helped them feel calmer and safer. One survivor says the dogs helped her express her emotions and that they could “take your tears” and bring comfort when it was needed most.