After a long day at work, some might relax slouched on a sofa watching TV or sipping wine. For Police Officer Leo – Newton’s community resource dog, marking his fifth year with the department – a game of fetch and a roll in the grass are preferred.
Most weeks Leo (whose name is an acronym for “Law Enforcement Officer”) spends his workdays greeting city residents at various events and getting lots of pets when visiting schools with his partner and “dad,” Newton Police Officer Justin Lau.
However, even after receiving hours of affection from people all across Newton who have come to love this English cream golden retriever, he “still wants more attention” when he’s off duty, said Lau with a laugh.
A friendly paw as a lifeline
Among other activities over the past five years, Leo has helped during mental health crises, comforted the bereaved, attended an impressive number of events, and created connections between the police and the community.
Praising his canine partner, Lau said he feels that having Leo as a positive ambassador makes Lau more effective in his own work.
Even from puppyhood, Leo has been making a difference.
Soon after Leo joined the force, Lau and his canine co-worker attended Newtonville Village Day. As they left for home, an alert came over the police radio of a woman who was self-harming. When the duo arrived at her home, the resident was crying uncontrollably and could not explain what was wrong. Lau took a chance and asked if she liked dogs. After she said yes, he immediately brought over Leo – much younger at the time – who, even as a newbie “officer,” knew what to do and offered comfort.
“I feel like he can sense when somebody’s sad,” said Lau. Soothed by holding the puppy, the woman was able to speak with Lau and get the help she needed.
“That was the first incident [where] I could really see how beneficial this program would be to Newton,” he said.
More recently, the duo assisted when an elementary-school-aged student had barricaded herself behind a large table at her school while holding scissors. After taking the scissors away, Lau brought in Leo, who crawled under the table where the child gave him treats. Lau then coaxed her out by asking if she’d like to walk Leo around the school, which helped her calm down.
Leo has also comforted people in times of tragedy. When Newton North senior Dylan Neman was killed in a 2022 car crash, school staff asked for service dogs to be brought in. The pups, including Leo, were stationed in different areas throughout the school, including a counselor’s office where Lau and his partner remained, ready to help.
In addition to providing a furry shoulder to lean on, Leo has been trained in search-and-rescue scent tracking to find lost children or others who have gone missing. His focus is on those who are lost. He does not help with finding “bad guys,” guns, or drugs.
Destined to be partners
Lau researched how to start a community resource dog program in Newton years before it became a reality in the city. The department approved the idea under then-Chief John Carmichael, Jr. Fortunately, when Carmichael was the Walpole Police chief, he had begun a similar initiative there.
“All the stars aligned,” said Lau.
After being selected from a group of officers applying for the position, Lau accepted the job – and the dog – that changed his life.
“[Leo] goes everywhere with me,” said Lau, whose family had Shih Tzus when he was growing up. “It doesn’t stop when I get off of work.”
The journey began back in 2021, when Leo was an energetic pup being raised at Walpole’s Golden Opportunities for Independence, a nonprofit that breeds and trains service dogs.
When a few puppies were old enough and deemed suitable to be working dogs, Lau and other officers from other departments visited the facility and called out to puppies to get a closer peek at their future partners. Unsurprisingly, Leo was the fastest to run over to Lau.
“I thought that was meant to be,” he said. The duo soon began intensively working together at the Walpole facility and out in public.
For the first six months, Leo, Lau, and other officers and their canine partners trained Monday through Thursday and Saturday from 9AM to 1PM on obedience and behavior when out and about.
“They [the puppies] have to get used to going anywhere and everywhere,” said Lau, including the library, supermarket, shops, and more.
At the end of every six months of training, the puppies were given a test to measure progress. Even when the young dogs did well, “there is always a concern” about failure on future tests, said Lau. This was especially true during Leo’s “teen” phase, from eight to 12 months, when dogs can regress a bit. However, the trainer reassured Lau that Leo would grow out of his rebelliousness, and after he hit the age of one, he was calmer.
Nowadays he’s a mellow fellow who enjoys off-duty romps with his four-legged pals at Claflin Park. When he’s home, “his favorite thing is chest rubs,” said Lau.
Leo also gets to spend time with his favorite toy – a stuffed squirrel that has lost some of its stuffing.
“He loves that thing,” said Lau.
When it’s time for the beloved pup to retire – which could be in another five years, around age 10 – Lau said, “I would love to adopt him … I’m basically his dog dad.”
Asked whether he’d like to continue working with another four-legged officer when Leo becomes a fulltime pet, he said, “I absolutely would want to pick up the next dog.”
For more on Officer Leo, you can visit his Instagram account: @officer_leo_crd.
