OCEAN CITY, Md. -- On Monday, February 6th, the Ocean City Fire Department announced the start of their therapy dog program. With it came the introduction of Max, a 20-month-old black lab and the newest member of the OCFD.
Ryan Whittington, Community Engagement Officer for the OCFD, said the idea to bring a therapy dog on board began a few years ago.
"OCFD started a peer support team back in 2020 and we realized there was something that was missing, an icebreaker or a way we could improve things within the community," said Whittington.
Now, Max has come to fill the missing void.
"He will join our firefighters going to fire stations, any type of critical incident, he will be with us on those critical incidents," said Whittington. "Any way we can work to bring stress relief to our firefighters and paramedics, we will do that."
Yvie Rode, a paramedic with the OCFD, said the pup is already doing a great job of keeping everybody in a good mood.
"Even if there's nothing going on at the fire house, it's stressful just being here because you never know what's going to happen, but, it's really clear when he comes into the room the whole mood just lightens," said Rode.
With roughly 18 months of specialized training, courtesy of Hero Dogs, a company out of Montgomery County, Maryland, and a calm and gentle demeanor, Max is great with all age groups.
Because of his training, he also has a few tricks up his sleeve, including paw, where he'll place his paw in your hand, touch, where he'll bring his nose to your hand, sit and stay.
But, the crowd favorite at Monday's press conference was by far Max's stop, drop, and roll, which was followed by lots and lots of applause.
Max has the skills, the looks, and a dedicated spot inside the Ocean City Fire Department, helping everyone in Worcester County to 'remember to take time to paws'.