Buffalo Grove police welcome new therapy dog 'Gus'

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill. - The Buffalo Grove Police Department has grown by four legs. They are welcoming a new therapy dog to the force.

When you think of police dogs, you picture drug sniffing canine's — but this is definitely not Gus. He's a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever-Poodle mix that is full of snuggles.

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Gus works with a social worker to calm victims, typically in domestic abuse situations or when there are children involved. He was a stray in Florida that was picked up by the paws and stripes program down there. They trained him to become a therapy dog.

He also works with buffalo grove's first responders.

"He is a highly effective tool for helping police officers cope with the stressful day-to-day job tasks. Having an animal here at the police department has been shown to decrease some of the anxiety that comes with the day-to-day tasks. They provide a lot of comfort and safety here at the police department," said social worker Brittany Wilson.

The Elgin Police Department also has a therapy dog on the force, a Golden Retriever named Chance.