Miami-Dade Police Department adopts service dog that helped comfort families impacted by Surfside building collapse

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Miami-Dade Police Department has rescued another loving canine.

The English Pointer mix is two years old and named Dottie.

She spent several days bringing comfort to survivors and family members following the Surfside condo collapse earlier this year.

Clearly, Dottie left a lasting impression. She is now MDPD’s newest community support dog.

Her handler, Officer Alexander Munoz already knows she is a special one.

“It’s amazing to see how a dog with so little training, and I was just talking to a trainer about this, she almost recognizes when a child has some type of disorder,” said Munoz. “She automatically calms down and puts her head on their lap. It’s almost like she was born to do this.”

Officer Munoz and Dottie will be heading to events at schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, but they will also respond to provide comfort and emotional support at the request of Miami-Dade police.


About the Authors

David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.

Louis Aguirre is an Emmy-award winning journalist who anchors weekday newscasts and serves as WPLG Local 10’s Environmental Advocate.

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