Paws and Protection: Melbourne Fire Department Welcomes Rigs, the Therapy Dog on Duty

Rigs, the therapy dog

At the December 12 Service and Achievement Ceremony, the Melbourne Fire Department officially welcomed Rigs, their very first therapy dog. The team celebrated Rigs alongside firefighters who earned promotions and awards that night.

Rigs joins the Peer Support Team—a group of firefighters trained to help each other handle the tough and often tragic calls they face. Over the past few years, this team has worked to expand how they support their colleagues. Bringing in a therapy dog is part of that plan. The goal? Make it easier for firefighters to open up and seek help, especially those who usually keep their struggles to themselves.

“A dog lightens the mood and really helps break the ice after a rough call,” said Lieutenant Kayla Burri, one of the Peer Support Team leaders who played a key role in bringing Rigs on board.

Therapy dogs pick up on stress in ways people can’t. They sense higher levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—which can signal when someone’s having a hard time. “Rigs walks around the group and just naturally spends more time with certain people,” Burri explained. That gives everyone a chance to pet him or connect, and it actually lowers stress and boosts oxytocin, the hormone that helps people feel good. This helps the Peer Support Team spot signs of stress that might go unspoken. “He makes our job easier and lets us do it better,” she said.

Lieutenant Burri dove into research on therapy dogs in the fire service, determined to find the right fit for Melbourne’s team. She found Rigs last spring through TheDoodPack, a Tampa rescue. Since then, she and Rigs have put in hundreds of hours of training and completed specialized courses so he could serve as a fire K9. Now, Rigs is nationally recognized by the Alliance of Therapy and is a full-fledged member of the Peer Support Team.

Rigs’s work isn’t done. He’ll keep training, heading to and from work with Lieutenant Burri, showing up for peer support deployments, and soaking up affection from the crew. As a station dog, he’ll boost morale, bring calm to the firehouse, and help lower stress day in and day out.

Looking ahead, Burri and Rigs plan to earn Animal Crisis Response Certification—a six-week course that will prepare them to respond to statewide emergencies and sharpen their skills for helping Melbourne firefighters process trauma right at home.