Bridget Sharkey
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LEARN MOREPosted: 3:35 p.m. EST Feb 4, 2023
It’s hard to look adorable in a yearbook photo, but K9 officer Detective Gibbs makes it look easy.
In a recent photo shoot for the Camp Hill School District in Pennsylvania, Gibbs gives a dignified gaze at the camera and shows what a good boy he is.
The 2-year-old golden retriever was chosen to appear in the school district’s yearbooks after students clamored for his inclusion. Gibbs is a frequent and much-anticipated guest at Camp Hill schools, as he accompanies School Resource Officer Joe Capers on his duties.
Although many K9 officers perform police work like sniffing for drugs or explosives, Gibbs doesn’t have any specific police duties other than just showing up and giving love to the community.
"Gibbs is an out-going, people-loving Golden Retriever," according to the Honor 25 Foundation, a non-profit that covers the costs and care for the K9 facility dog.
He’s a community outreach K9 officer and visits schools and other events, “fostering relationship with students and residents alike,” the Honor 25 Foundation explained.
While community engagement dogs like Gibbs are increasing in demand at police stations across the country, funding for these dogs and their extensive training can be costly.
The American Kennel Club hosts an annual Reunite Adopt a K9 Cop Matching Grant to help support police stations that are trying to raise money for a K9 officer. You can click here to donate if your area is working towards their own K9 officer with AKC.
As special as Gibbs is, this isn’t the first time that a dog has appeared in a school yearbook.
In 2019, a Belgian Malinois named Mya posed for a yearbook photo at Arkansas’s Bryant High School.
Service dogs have also appeared in school yearbooks. Soldier, a Golden Retriever service dog, appeared alongside his owner Kathryn Campbell in the Timber Creek High School yearbook in Texas.
And school therapy dog Meg gave a beautiful smile as she posed for her yearbook photo at Goshen Middle School in Ohio. Meg even has her own Instagram page!
Research has shown that dogs in schools are more than just an adorable addition to yearbooks. Dogs in the classroom have been shown to improve literacy, reduce stress and promote many other emotional and psychological benefits.
This story was originally published by Bridget Sharkey on simplemost.com.
