K9 Rookie’s Story, by Allison Adle

As the San Mateo Police Department’s first K9 therapy dog, Rookie has been by my side since day one. He is not only my partner, he has earned his place as a highly valued member of our department and community.

Our journey together began in July 2021 when he was just 10 weeks old. My colleagues and I were standing in a room full of puppies trying to find just the right dog for our new Therapy K9 program. They were all nipping and barking, squirming and frolicking as puppies love to do, but Rookie was off to the side, and he seemed very composed. When we picked him up, he just melted in our arms, and he was happy to be held and touched.

As a Youth Services Officer, Rookie and I would be spending a lot of time working with children of all ages, and the youngest children are all about touching (the ears, the paws, the tail …) so we needed a dog that was very comfortable with that. We also noticed he was more curious than timid, which was also an important trait. As a police officer, I encounter lots of things (lights, sirens, school bells, unexpected noises) and he needed to be able to work comfortably in those kinds of environments. He would also need to be a “lifelong learner” so his natural curiosity and ability to focus would serve him well.

We knew he was special the minute we started interacting with him, and Rookie came home with me ─ to his new family, his new job, and his new life.

The Training Begins

Even though he had many months of training ahead of him, Rookie came to work the very next day, starting to get acclimated to the station and the people we would be working with. At 4 months, he went to a Board and Train program for a month hosted by Trident, who does K9 training for our other working dogs. When he was 5 months old, Rookie and I went to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio, where they provide free training for law enforcement to help dogs get acquainted with the things they will encounter in a law enforcement environment. It was there that he received his American Kennel Club (AKC) Good Citizen and AKC Urban Canine Good Citizen certifications.

Where I Go, Rookie Goes

Rookie didn’t go out in the field until he was 8 months old, but from that point on, he’s been with me every day. If I’m working, he’s working. And he lives with me and my family off hours, so we literally spend all our time together.

He’s also gotten additional certifications, like the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) certification. We were a part of the first graduating class to go through California's Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), which sets minimum guidelines for the use of police K9s by law enforcement agencies and certifies their working and crisis response dogs.

Rookie and I also received a national award this summer at the National Association for School Resource Officers (NASRO) conference as the 2025 Safety and Support Companion recipients. Throughout it all, Rookie has embraced his new life and his new role. He is always open to learning new things, and he instinctively knows how to win over hearts and minds as he goes about his day.

What We Do

As a Youth Service Officer covering all public schools in the city of San Mateo, Rookie and I are actively involved in outreach throughout our community. We work to build positive relationships with students and their families, and we provide trauma support to victims and witnesses of crime.

Many days we just go on campus and talk to the students. If someone is having a mental health crisis, they’re able to come into a room with Rookie and me to take a breath. If the student is new to us, I ask if they’re comfortable with dogs and say, “You can sit on the floor with him, you can pet him, he’s a great listener, whatever you say in this room, he’s not going to share with anyone.” We know it can be intimidating talking to someone you’ve never met before, particularly a police officer. I totally get it, so I say, “You don’t need to talk to me, you can talk to him” and they do.

He's also very helpful in Child and Family Services (CFS) calls and forensic interviews, because children will tell Rookie things that have happened to them, when they wouldn’t disclose those things to me.

The Rookie Room

Partnering with our high school wellness team, we decided to create a place where students could come for a 15-minute wellness check. Having a hard time at home, at school, with friends, in relationships, whatever it might be ─ we sit on bean bags in a safe comfortable space where students sit down with Rookie and me to talk about anything they want to talk about.

A simple idea, Rookie’s Room has far exceeded our expectations. It breaks down a lot of barriers, as I get to know the students and they get to know me. It’s great to see repeat students sign up over multiple years in school. They have gotten to know us and they’re comfortable coming in and talking to us about anything. It allows us to build trust and form those important relationships organically before anything happens. When the time comes to interview someone about something serious, or intervene in a difficult situation, I already have that relationship with them, that rapport, that connection.

The Perfect Partnership

We had no idea when we started this program what it would turn out to be. But I learned

quickly that there was something very special about partnering with Rookie ─ being at the other end of the leash as I watch him work his magic.

I see the calming effect he has on people, particularly in stressful situations. I’ve seen him stand beside a victim in court, giving that person the confidence they need to testify against their abuser. I see how he is able to comfort anyone who is in crisis or just having a really bad day. He is a great listener who everyone just naturally loves and trusts. And he builds bridges wherever he goes.

K9 Rookie will continue to play an integral role in both the San Mateo Police Department

and the wider community by providing comfort, reducing stress, and fostering positive connections between officers and residents.

https://www.instagram.com/tk9_rookie/?hl=en