A yellow Labrador puppy named Duke is about to become Wittenberg University's newest campus safety asset, and a campus naming contest gave him his name. The Wittenberg University Campus Safety and Police Division welcomed the pup as the school's first crisis response therapy dog, and after a weeklong campus-wide naming contest that wrapped up Wednesday, Duke became his new name.
According to the Springfield News-Sun, the contest included options such as Rosco, Maverick, Cooper and Ranger. The Labrador was born June 20, 2026, and was donated to the university by Black Swamp Labradors, a small family-based breeder in Grand Rapids, Ohio, according to the same report.
Black Swamp Labradors relies on Early Neurological Stimulation and early environmental exposure to prepare its puppies for service and therapy roles, and it health-tests parent dogs through OFA and Embark screening to select for temperaments suited to high-stress work, per Black Swamp Labradors. That breeding pedigree matters for what Duke is being asked to do: the News-Sun reports he comes from a long line of highly socialized dogs whose relatives are used for therapy and comfort work.
Twenty-Minute Sessions Now, State Academy Next
For now, Duke is working through the basics in 20-minute training sessions three times a day, the News-Sun reports. When he is not on campus, he lives with his handler, Det. Sgt. Matt Raines, and Raines's family.
The real test comes later this month. Duke and Raines are set to begin formal training together on September 28, kicking off two weeks of instruction at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London, Ohio, according to the News-Sun. That academy now offers a standardized 40-hour Crisis K9/Therapy K9 First Response Course, built specifically to prepare officers and their canine partners for animal-assisted crisis intervention across Ohio communities, according to Cleveland State University.
The course is designed to prepare officers and canine partners for animal-assisted crisis intervention across Ohio communities.
Learning to Handle Chaos, Not Just Cuddles
Wittenberg's chief of police and director of campus safety, Lee McCartney, said Duke's training will go well beyond sitting still for pats. Duke must work well with other dogs, people and his handler, McCartney said, per the News-Sun.
Part of that means preparing Duke for the demands of his work and teaching him to respond appropriately when interacting with people, the News-Sun reports.
After his stint at OPOTA, Duke will get additional instruction from the Clark County Emergency Management team, according to the Clark County Emergency Management Agency.
Zero Cost to the University
Duke's arrival hasn't cost Wittenberg a dime, per the university. His care has been donated, the News-Sun reports. That support has kept Duke's arrival cost-free for the private liberal arts school.
According to a 2023 study indexed by PubMed Central, students who engaged with therapy dogs on campus during the examination period were more likely to have a more positive affect. A 2020 randomized trial indexed by PubMed Central notes that animal visitation programs targeting college students' stress and academic success have increased despite limited research on academic outcomes.
Wittenberg, founded in 1845 in Springfield, has a 114-acre campus, according to College Raptor. The university has collaborated with local police and emergency management for more than two decades, including forming a joint Rescue Task Force in 2023, and last November the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Ohio Emergency Management Agency awarded Wittenberg more than $500,000 in grant funding to enhance campus safety infrastructure and emergency communication, according to Wittenberg University.
Crisis Canines in Ohio
Ohio's OPOTA course provides training for crisis canines.
Related crisis-dog programs are discussed by EMS World and in a report on crisis dogs.
Duke is expected to report for duty in mid-October.
