Malcolm Streitfeld
Assistant Arts and Entertainment Editor
“Dogs are natural social catalysts,” James J. Mendonca, Rhode Island College’s Director of Security and Safety and Chief of Campus, stated as he officially swore in the three-year-old black labrador Elvy on August 21st, 2024. K9 Elvy the Anchor Dog and her handler, police officer of six years Dustin Coleman, are newcomers to the RIC Campus.
Elvy is a specially trained comfort dog. According to Mendonca, her role is to “build trust and safety and security” and a “stronger, more supportive campus community.” Petting and spending time with Elvy is meant to reduce student stress. She can provide much-needed immediate relief during crises and exams.
Dustin says Elvy sometimes “huffs and lies down like ‘well fine.’ Dustin explained that Elvy has the attitude of a bossy old lady. “She runs her own show. She has her own genuine personality that isn’t forced.”
Dustin’s nephew Elijah pinned him while his mother Miriam and sons Flynn, Wyler and Arlen and father Dennis looked on. Upon being asked to abide by the Oath of Office, Elvy responded with an affirmative “RUFF” and she was sworn in.
As it turns out, RIC is not Elvy’s first rodeo. She’s a college veteran with a fascinating history.
Elvy is a dog involved with the Puppies Behind Bars program. The mission of Puppies Behind Bars is “To train incarcerated individuals to raise service dogs for wounded war veterans and first responders, facility dogs for police departments, and explosive-detection canines for law enforcement. Puppies enter prison at the age of 8 weeks and live with their incarcerated puppy-raisers for approximately 24 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it.” As Dustin explained, “She lives and is trained in a prison facility for six months to a year and a half. On weekends, she goes into downtown New York City to be trained by civilian trainees.”
Gloria Gilbert Stoga, the founder of Puppies Behind Bars, once said in an interview with FOX at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York, “Puppies Behind Bars offers an opportunity to contribute to society even while you’re locked up. Umm… you know, we’re in a prison where there’s over six hundred inmates here. Sixteen have chosen to do this.” Stoga started the program in 1997 at Bedford Hills, at the time New York’s only maximum security prison for women. She taught a group of carefully selected inmates to raise five puppies as service dogs that were brought in that Thanksgiving. Puppies Behind Bars has raised more than 900 dogs. They work in six prisons throughout New York and New Jersey.
In 2021, Elvy completed her training with Puppies Behind Bars. She was then sworn in at Brown University on Friday, September 9th, 2022. Dustin, a member of the Brown University Committee of Public Safety, became her handler.
Elvy is very special. Dustin confirmed during a 2023 interview that she was the first of her kind at Brown. And now she’s the first of her kind at RIC. Elvy’s hobbies include playing fetch, swimming, snacks and walks. She likes bacon, the beach and walks. She dislikes rain and costumes and she aspires to build a positive and fun relationship with the community. Let’s all welcome Elvy, the best friend a RIC student could ask for, as she begins trotting around the campus looking for souls in need this semester.
Comments