‘He’s our therapy’: Kootenai sheriff’s dog Rocket gets nominated for national first-responder award

Rocket the therapy dog first pawed into his sheriff’s job in 2023, mainly to comfort first responders and residents affected by violent or tragic incidents.

Part of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s K9 unit, the Brittany spaniel has since touched hundreds of people. His handler, John McSwain, who is a department chaplain and brings Rocket to work, said the dog seems to sense when individuals are stressed or sad, and goes to them for snuggles.

Now, the 2-year-old Rocket is nominated for national recognition: First Responder Paws Therapy Dog Award. He’s among 19 therapy dogs in the running, and one cat, but the feline technically can’t win the title. People can vote for Rocket online Nov. 25 through Dec. 4.

Rocket instantly changes people’s moods wherever he goes, said Paula Pelka, who works at the department.

“In the mornings, John will bring Rocket through the doors into the hallway, and it’s right as the deputies’ night shift is coming off,” Pelka said.

“You’ve probably got 10 deputies standing around, and they’re kind of, ‘Ugh,’ after dealing with everything all night. The minute Rocket hits that door, all you hear is, ‘Rocket, Rocket, Rocket,’ and there’s smiles and joy and laughter. He’s touched all of us.”

Registered “Sir Rocket the Kindhearted” with the American Kennel Club, the Brittany also visits veterans, school children and people at hospitals and hospice facilities.

“He’s a community dog,” McSwain said.

When not on duty, Rocket lives with McSwain.

“Our chaplains get called out all the time to traumatic situations. If I happen to be one of the chaplains who responds, Rocket goes with me.”

But there’s a reason Rocket is called a first-responder therapy dog.

McSwain said law enforcement officers see “the worst of the worst all the time,” responding to crimes and accidents. He asked the department to add a therapy dog and offered to cover most costs, other than for training.

Rocket was certified through First Responder Therapy Dogs in August 2023.

McSwain worked as an officer with the King County Sheriff’s Office for more than 30 years. He retired there in 2021 and moved to North Idaho. He also worked in peer support, as he does here.

First responders need to emotionally and mentally process difficult events, such as a traumatic death scene or an officer-involved shooting, McSwain said.

“Inserting Rocket into those environments, just having him around the offices and in and out of briefings, it’s beneficial because the officers get to interact with something that just unconditionally says, ‘I love you. I’m a dog and you’re great. Come and pet me,’ ” he added.

“It’s not the trauma that knocks you off the rails; it’s the body’s response to trauma. When you introduce something like an animal, it directly impacts that officer’s ability to process what they’ve seen. It changes brain function, and your body releases all these good chemicals that can help your body reset a lot faster.”

McSwain offers to introduce Rocket while out on calls.

“We went to a call where a lady had a pretty traumatic thing happen,” he said. When he introduced Rocket, she laid down on the ground and hugged him.

“People have appreciated that support in that moment.”

Rocket is the only therapy dog in the K9 unit, which currently keeps three other dogs for tracking and drug detection work. McSwain said the entire canine crew relies on community donations.

Although Brittany spaniels typically have high energy levels, Rocket is unusually calm, McSwain added. That’s especially true when he puts on his therapy vest, knowing “it’s time to go to work,” he said.

“He’s also super smart. When I first got him, I’d shut the door to my office. He didn’t like that, so he would just open the door.”

And he’ll leave if duty calls. McSwain’s office is across from a conference room, where job candidates are interviewed.

“There have been a couple times he just decided that, ‘Hey, there is something stressful going on in here, and I’ve got some work to do,’ ” said McSwain, describing how Rocket went directly up against the person being interviewed.

Another time, McSwain said he watched Rocket single out a few people who seemed the most upset opening up within a large group talking after a fire.

“I watch Rocket, and he only goes to the ones I know are struggling,” he said. “I don’t tell him.”

Pelka saw that touch when McSwain brought the dog to visit her husband at Kootenai Health’s hospital in July.

Fighting an infection, Ross Pelka had to have an amputation. Her husband was struggling and missing his own dog, Cairo.

She was in his hospital room, and Rocket usually goes directly to her at the office, but Pelka said the dog merely glanced at her. He then jumped up on her husband’s hospital bed to snuggle, staying there 45 minutes.

Both she and McSwain said during the visit that they watched as Ross Pelka calmed and his heart rate and blood pressure lowered.

“Rocket wouldn’t leave me for anything,” Ross Pelka said. “He just knew, and he helped me pull through.”

Another reason for first-responder therapy dogs is to help those professionals talk about their work and understand they need to take care of their own health, McSwain said.

Statistics show that too many officers after retirement tend to have short lifespans because of heart issues, suicides and unmet medical needs, he added.

“If we can do things that intentionally help them to be healthy at the end of their career and retire, maybe with some scars but not open wounds, they can be healthier,” McSwain said.

Behavioral health provider FHE Health is running the online vote. The top dog and handler get a $2,000 check, Chewy gift basket and social media feature. They’re also honored in a $2,500 donation to First Responders Pack Foundation, which seeks to increase the number of first-responder therapy dogs.

Paula Pelka plans to rally for Rocket.

“We don’t know any of the other therapy dogs, but he’s our therapy,” she said. “He’s proven therapy for a lot of people.”