A paws-on display from the working dogs of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department took center stage at the Gleason Family YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day. 

Wareham School Resource Officer Karl Baptiste brought the department’s comfort dog, Lexi. 

Children in the audience threw their hands up when asked if they  knew Lexi, and eagerly accepted the stickers handed out by Baptiste. 

“Lexi has a lot of experience to grow into,” said Dennis Desroches, a K9 Deputy with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. 

Lexi is five months old, and while she has been taking obedience training, she still needs to take comfort dog training, said Baptiste. 

Desroches brought out his comfort dog Starr as well. Lexi is the newest dog in their training group, while Starr is the most experienced, said Desroches. 

Research has shown that people feel better after petting dogs, which is why law enforcement uses them to comfort people, Desroches said. 

“She was really cute,” said Leah Boettcher, a child who got to pet Starr after the talk. 

While some law enforcement dogs are trained to be cuddly, others are trained to hunt and apprehend criminals. 

Rusty, a certified narcotics dog, showed off how he searches people for drugs, sniffing through a line-up of volunteers and finding a fake drugs packet which the sheriff’s office concealed as part of the presentation. A German Shepherd named Dani showed off how he could bite and apprehend suspects, chomping down on Desroches who was wearing a protective suit. 

“It looks like you’re a WWE star,” one kid shouted out, watching Danny get his teeth in. 

While the day’s rain kept the fair’s festivities inside, the Gleason Family YMCA’s event also featured tables with information and activities from healthy and active organizations, such as Southcoast Health and the Wareham Dog Park. The event included an inflatable obstacle course and hula-hooping. 

Children Nico and Teddy Panagiotopoulos raced off to the inflatable right after the dog show, eager to play.