Paws on Patrol: First Comfort K9 Nationwide Joins School of Public Safety

Moreno Valley College (MVC) has welcomed a new team member to its School of Public Safety — and he’s got four legs, a tail, and a nose for compassion.

Eros will be based at the Ben Clark Training Center and is the first comfort K-9 assigned to a School of Public Safety nationwide. The program focuses on scent-based crisis intervention and is designed to support the mental health of students, faculty and college employees— particularly those preparing for careers as first responders.

“Future public safety professionals face extraordinary stress both in training and in the field,” said Phil Rawlings, dean of instruction at the School of Public Safety. “This program is one step toward building emotional resilience into their preparation.”

Comfort K-9s are not typical therapy animals. They are trained to assist in critical incident responses, grief processing, and stress-related events. Eros will also take part in classroom visits, presentations and district-wide mental health outreach.

Handlers undergo more than 300 hours of training over four months, including risk management, scent-response work and continued mental health education. Twice a month, Eros will visit the main MVC campus to support additional employees and students.

The program is part of a three-year pilot. In the third year, the college plans to evaluate data and explore expanding the initiative to include a second K-9 focused on veterans at the MVC campus.

“Introducing Eros reflects our college’s commitment to holistic education,” said Rawlings. “Mental health isn't a side concern — it's foundational to learning and leadership, especially in fields as demanding as public safety.”

Working Dogs for Warriors, founded in 2016 by veteran Mike Welsh, provides service dogs to first responders and veterans at no initial cost. Welsh’s wife is a graduate of the Ben Clark Training Center.

The total value of a donated K-9 ranges from $12,000 to $14,000. Ongoing annual training costs are estimated at $12,000, and veterinary care and food are covered through a combination of college reimbursement and owner contributions.

To learn more about what Comfort K9s, watch this short video.

To donate to the program, please visit the RCCD Foundation giving page.

Follow Eros’ journey and meet the newest member of the MVC family on Instagram: @mvc_k9_eros. There are already a dozen tail-wagging photos to like and share.