![\"Hialeah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_100HIaleahPoliceDogNEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"Hialeah")
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Hialeah Police Department Officer Lucicarmen Lopez poses with Domino, the official Hialeah Police Therapy Dog, at police headquarters on June 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
Pedro Portal<\/p>\n
pportal@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
When most people picture a police dog, they imagine a powerful K-9 hound sprinting after fleeing suspects.<\/p>\n
But the Hialeah Police Department\u2019s newest four-legged officer has a very different assignment.<\/p>\n
Domino, a Bernedoodle who\u2019s almost seven months old, is the department\u2019s first emotional support dog. His job is not to assist with arrests or investigations, but to provide comfort: helping children, crime victims, witnesses, residents experiencing crises and officers dealing with the emotional toll of traumatic incidents.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe will be there to love people.\u201d Hialeah Police Chief George Fuente said. \u201cIf he encounters a child or an elderly person who needs that moment of connection, to reach out and pet the dog, or simply feel better during a difficult time, that is the least we can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Supporting victims<\/p>\n
For Officer Lucicarmen Lopez, becoming Domino\u2019s handler wasn\u2019t just another assignment, it was a full-circle moment in a career dedicated to helping people through some of the most traumatic moments of their lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy passion has always been mental health, working with victims and victim advocates,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cEven when I was on patrol, that was always my thing. When something chaotic happened, people would say, \u2018We need you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past two decades with the Hialeah Police Department, Lopez has gravitated toward victim-centered work. After starting her career as a public service aide and becoming a police officer in 2006, she spent more than a decade as a patrol officer before joining the Special Victims Unit. She later served as the department\u2019s liaison to the Miami-Dade State Attorney\u2019s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, continuing to work with victims. Altogether, Lopez has spent seven years assigned to special victims and human trafficking investigations.<\/p>\n
Throughout that time, Lopez said, she developed a passion for supporting victims and people experiencing trauma, making the emotional support dog program a natural fit.<\/p>\n
She said officers and firefighters are often exposed to traumatic situations that can be difficult to process, from violent crimes and accidents to cases involving children and vulnerable victims.<\/p>\n
\u201cThroughout the years we\u2019ve been here, the police, and even the firefighters, have understood the nature of our work: the physical, mental and spiritual aspects,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cWe deal with things so horrific that the human psyche isn\u2019t really prepared to process them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Domino, she said, is another tool to help officers and residents navigate those moments. A Bernedoodle is a crossbreed between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle<\/p>\n
The dog can help victims dealing with difficult emotions, provide a sense of calm and help de-escalate stressful situations involving traumatic events.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are chaotic scenarios, dealing with victims, special cases, rapes, accidents, things that aren\u2019t normal to witness,\u201d Lopez said. \u201cEvery day, this dog will bring a great deal of peace and tranquility.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Hialeah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_101HIaleahPoliceDogNEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_101HIaleahPoliceDogNEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Hialeah Police Department Commander Patricia Salgado, far left, and Chief of Police George Fuente, flank Officer Lucicarmen Lopez and Domino, the official Hialeah Police Therapy Dog at police headquarters on June 16, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
Lopez currently serves as Community Outreach and Peer Support Unit as K-9 Officer in the department, where she is the handler for Domino. As a member of the peer support team, she helps fellow officers cope with the emotional and psychological toll of police work while continuing her commitment to victim advocacy and mental health.<\/p>\n
The plan<\/p>\n
The idea of bringing a therapy dog to the Hialeah Police Department began shortly after Fuente took over the agency in 2022, when Patricia Salgado, at the time a lieutenant, proposed creating a program to support both officers and the community.<\/p>\n
Fuente said improving officers\u2019 mental health has been one of his priorities since becoming chief. One of his first initiatives was expanding the department\u2019s peer-support program, with Salgado, now a commander and the department\u2019s Mental Health coordinator, helping lead those efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that an officer who feels good, who is comfortable in their job, and maintains a positive mindset will be far more effective in the community,\u201d Fuente said. \u201cIt has always been a priority for me, and now, with the donation of Domino, everything is much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Salgado drafted the policy for a therapy dog program. It took nearly four years for the idea to become reality, as the department developed the program and looked for a donor. The efforts finally came together this year when Hialeah City Councilwoman Gelien Perez donated Domino to the department.<\/p>\n
Salgado, who holds a master\u2019s degree in mental health counseling and marriage and family therapy, said emotional support dogs can provide a unique benefit to police departments because of the comfort they offer people during moments of crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people are in pain, or crying, or going through a crisis, it\u2019s evidence-based that dogs provide a very soothing, calming presence,\u201d Salgado said.<\/p>\n
The need became more evident after the unexpected death of a City Hall colleague on February, a loss that deeply affected employees across the city, Salgado said. During that difficult time, Hialeah turned to the Doral Police Department\u2019s therapy dog, Ginger, for support in comforting grieving family members, friends and coworkers.<\/p>\n
Ginger, a 3\u00bd-year-old Labradoodle, showed Hialeah officials and the family of the employee the impact a trained therapy dog could have during moments of loss, providing a calming presence and emotional support. The experience reinforced the department\u2019s commitment to creating its own program and eventually led to the arrival of Domino.<\/p>\n
Serving the community<\/p>\n
Domino joined the department in March, at only eight weeks old, after Perez donated him to the city. He later began the training to become an emotional support dog.<\/p>\n
![\"Domino,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Domino.PNG\" "\\"Domino.PNG\\"")
Domino, a Bernedoodle, joined the Hialeah Police Department in March at just 8 weeks old after Hialeah City Councilwoman Gelien Perez donated him to the city. He has since trained to become the department\u2019s first emotional support dog. Hialeah Police Department <\/p>\n
While campaigning for a seat on the Hialeah City Council last year, Perez, who previously served as the city\u2019s Human Resources director until 2022, learned about the police department\u2019s interest in creating a therapy dog program, and she promised, she said, to bring a dog for the department.<\/p>\n
Perez told the Herald she donated Domino because she believes emotional health is just as important as physical health and saw an opportunity to bring a resource to the community that could support people during difficult moments.<\/p>\n
![\"Hialeah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/MIA_102HIaleahPoliceDogNEWPPP.JPG\" "\\"MIA_102HIaleahPoliceDogNEWPPP.JPG\\"")
Hialeah Council member Gelien Perez poses with officer Lucicarmen Lopez and Domino, the official Hialeah Police Therapy Dog, at police headquarters on June 16, 2026. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
\u201cAn emotional support dog can provide comfort, tranquility and hope to those who need it most, including victims of traumatic situations, our older adults, police officers who face high levels of stress and difficult experiences every day, and others in crisis,\u201d Perez said. \u201cI hope Domino offers companionship, relieves anxiety and reminds people that they are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Hialeah, Domino represents a new kind of police presence, one that is not measured by arrests made or cases solved, but by the comfort provided during some of the hardest moments people face.<\/p>\n
Beyond helping during traumatic calls, Lopez, Domino\u2019s handler, said bringing him to a scene represents an effort to show residents a different side of law enforcement, one built around compassion and trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about that communication and empathy with the public,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s about understanding that we are here to help throughout the entire process, from the apprehension of the suspect to the victim advocacy side of things, aspects that people sometimes don\u2019t understand or fail to see.\u201d<\/p>\n