QuickTake:

Working Dogs Oregon donates trained dogs to Lane County law enforcement agencies and adult treatment centers.

Correction: A previous version of this article conflated service dogs and comfort dogs. The dogs recently donated to various agencies in Lane County were comfort dogs.

Working Dogs Oregon, a nonprofit organization that trains therapy and K-9 dogs, has donated five dogs to various Lane County law enforcement and adult treatment agencies.

The latest furry recruits were introduced to the media at an event Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the Eugene Mission. The dogs are on their way to various agencies — such as Willamette Valley Family Services and the University of Oregon Police Department. They are trained to help officers and victims — as well as do their part in community outreach and help people stay paws-itive.

Sgt. Darren Kendrick pets Corporal Carleton. .The dog is part of the Lane County Sheriff’s Office wellness program for staff. “He spends a lot of his time in dispatch,” Kendrick said. “Honestly, often the dispatchers get more stress from a call because all they can do is send deputies and hopes it works out.” Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

Executive director Darin Campbell says the dogs calm those experiencing significant stress in a wide variety of circumstances. 

Sgt. Darren Kendrick and Corporal Carleton, support golden doodle with the Lane County Sheriff’s Office, in Eugene, Oct. 29, 2025. “With the calls that we deal with on a daily basis, it’s nice to have a dog that you can pet that releases that stress,” Kendrick said. Credit: Isaac Wasserman / Lookout Eugene-Springfield / Catchlight / RFA

Sabrina, one of the newest recruits at the Cottage Grove Police Department, can do it all, whether that’s helping a dispatcher stay alert through a graveyard shift or comforting victims of crimes.

“Some people have, we’ll call it ‘crisis’ moments … and in those times, they might break down,” Campbell said. “That’s a great time to bring a dog in and introduce a dog into those situations where that person can get out of their own mind and focus on the dog … so that their problems don’t seem so big.”

Over the last five years, Working Dogs Oregon has donated 26 dogs to various agencies in the area. The dogs are trained and donated at no cost. The only bill law enforcement agencies have to foot is for caring for the dogs under their supervision.​

Lane County Sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Kendrick can attest to the hard work of Corporal Carlton — a golden doodle who’s worked in the department over the last year.

Given the number of traumatic calls officers deal with, Kendrick says Corporal Carlton has become a core part of the team. 

“They’ve said that an average person has a traumatic incident maybe twice in their lifetime, where we deal with traumatic incidents on a daily basis,” Kendrick said. “Just having him to be able to exercise with, play with helps.”

Working Dogs Oregon is funded by community contributions and is accepting donations.