URBANA, Ill. (WAND) - The newest therapy K9 for University of Illinois Police is officially named Kirby after a public vote.
The animal, who is still a puppy, was named after nominations were submitted by Illinois Student Government representatives and community members were polled on options. With over 1,000 ballots in, over half of the voters selected Kirby.
The Kirby name is in honor of Kirby Avenue, which is a road through campus bordered by Memorial Stadium and the State Farm Center. It is a center for activity during events like home football games, the Illinois Marathon, the Fourth of July Celebration and others.
“I think it’s very important to have part of our community, which is the new therapy dog, be part of the campus community,” said University Police Chief Alice Cary. “And taking ownership of that name is something that kind of connects our agency with the students.”
The dog is a 7-month-old Samoyed. It is the fifth U of I Police K9 and joins Archie, Lollipop, Rosie and Winston. Police use these animals for mental health crisis calls and outreach programming.
Kirby is expected to get official therapy K9 training around the start of the fall 2022 semester. Leaders said the dog is "so laid back and calm" that he has already been at some public outreach events.
“He is very easy to love on,” said University Police Detective Tara Hurless, Kirby’s handler. “We’re working on sitting, shaking, laying down. I’d love to teach him to hug. He’s still young, I think he’s still got a lot of learning to do. But he’s got a great personality to interact with.”
Police therapy K9s are available by request. The community should expect to see them out on walks with officers in campus locations.
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