Pup Monty's helping to boost emotional and mental health
30 January 2025
Monty, the puppy, has taken his next steps on the road to becoming West Mercia Police Federation’s emotional support dog.
The nine-month-old cockerpoo passed his Kennel Club bronze award with Cosford Dog Training near Wolverhampton towards the end of last year, after previously completing his puppy training.
Now his owner, West Mercia Police Federation chair Steve Butler, is waiting to hear from Oscar Kilo, the national police wellbeing service, if he and Monty can link up with its OK9 wellbeing and trauma support dogs initiative.
Steve said Monty is already providing support to members who visit the branch for meetings and interviews.
He said: “He is so happy to meet people that when they see him, they can’t help but warm to him.
“He helps to break the formality of the whole process.
Wellbeing
“Some members will be there for quite serious interviews and he will sit by them and help them relax and settle down.”
Steve said Monty helps with his own emotional health and wellbeing.
He said: “As someone who has suffered with my mental health, one of the reasons for having Monty was to help steady my mental health.
“Having a dog encourages you to get up and to get out, to go walking, to do the dog training. He has been amazing.”
Stigma
Steve hopes Monty can help reduce the stigma around speaking about emotional and mental wellbeing, particularly among men.
He said: “There’s still a lot of work to be done about getting men to speak out and anything we can do to reduce that stigma has to be a good thing – hopefully that’s where Monty can come in.”
Members can access resources through the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) #AskTwice campaign, which aims to develop a culture that positively addresses mental health and wellbeing in the police service.
The campaign brings together assets to offer support and guidance in areas such as bereavement, financial wellbeing, and suicide.
READ MORE: Decisive action needed on retention says branch chair.
