We are excited to introduce you to the newest member of HVPD – our new emotional support dog, Ollie! Not your typical police K-9, Ollie is a station dog whose purpose is to calm people in crisis, comfort victims of crime, and make positive connections with people. Ollie will also focus on first responders (dispatch, police and fire) who face numerous emotional and stressful situations at work. Ollie has already made a couple of visits at community events, and just as we anticipated, all who encounter him love him as much as he loves them!
How did we get Ollie? A Highland Village resident has a connection to an emotional support trainer in the San Antonio area. She contacted us in May about a Doodle found in a field, covered in burs, and grossly underweight. The trainer evaluated his temperament and thought he would be a perfect fit for HVPD.
How did we choose the name “Ollie”? When we learned about the dog, we began a community naming campaign. The overwhelming majority suggested "Ollie" in honor of Sgt. Dennis Oliver. For those who do not know, Sgt. Oliver passed away from covid after 19 years as an HVPD officer. He was a faithful community caretaker who touched countless lives in Highland Village. There is no better name for our new HVPD member. We received the blessing to use the name Ollie from Sgt. Oliver's family (Donievin Oliver, one of Dennis’ sons, and currently an HVPD officer).
Ollie has already made many friends in the City and looks forward to faithfully executing the duties of an HVPD emotional support dog.