Dog toys strewn across the floor. The pitter-patter of paws dashing around the halls. The excited panting of two labradors. When walking into the Tufts University Police Department, you might expect to be greeted by uniformed officers and the tinted black windows of their office space. Instead, there’s new energy in the TUPD office with the addition of a K9 unit.
In the last two years, TUPD has added two comfort dogs to their ranks — Pepper in 2023 and Hayley in mid-2024. These dogs have joined the officers to provide new mental health resources and facilitate connection between the department and the student body. Along with comfort dog training, Hayley, a golden labrador, is also trained in Explosive Ordnance Detection. Through the TUPD website, any student can request either dog for any reason or event, even for just a quick 10-minute hello.
The unique personalities of Pepper and Hayley allow the dogs to respond to numerous situations on campus. In addition to helping students in need, the dogs have also become campus celebrities. By making officers more approachable and providing unique assistance that only a dog can offer, the K9 unit has enhanced support for students in ways that go beyond what human officers alone can provide.
Pepper, TUPD's other service dog, and her handler, officer Rob Moschella, are pictured.
Officer Rob Moschella, Pepper’s primary handler, explained the importance of the aid of a comfort dog.
“When Pepper goes to a call for someone who may need her support, I have seen people’s demeanor change almost right away,” Moschella wrote in an email to The Daily. “Her ability to give people the comfort or the distraction they need from a truly traumatic incident or difficult situation is nothing short of amazing.”
Pepper was adopted by Tufts through a New Hampshire program called Hero Pups. Hero Pups, a volunteer-run non-profit, trains dogs to work with veterans and first responders with psychological challenges. Moschella started training with Pepper in January 2023, and Pepper began working at Tufts full-time in October 2023 to provide support to the Tufts community and students.
Pepper is an outgoing dog but is considered to be calmer than her companion Hayley. He described Pepper as a people pleaser who gets very excited to get to work. Her favorite toy is a stuffed lamb chop named “Lamby” and she loves to be outside in the rain and the snow. Students can typically find Pepper, always excited to come up and say hello, walking around the Academic Quad.
The increase in student and staff requests for Pepper motivated TUPD to find a second dog.
The addition of another dog, Hayley, has allowed the K9 unit to respond to more requests and spread out Pepper’s workload. Hayley’s handler, Jessica Brandon, explained the personality differences between Pepper and Hayley, who is often more excitable.
“We have a nice and calm approach or just a super excited approach.” Brandon said. “It’s really good to have that aspect because people who have dogs love Hayley because she’s so interactive,” but that people unfamiliar with dogs might prefer Pepper’s more “relaxed atmosphere.”
Hayley came to Tufts from a Guiding Eyes for the Blind program based in New York. Guiding Eyes for the Blind gives dogs specific training to assist visually impaired individuals. Brandon said that Hayley struggled as a seeing eye dog because she was too friendly and followed her nose too often, making her better suited for other work like being a comfort dog.
After arriving at Tufts, Hayley began training in Explosive Ordnance Detection with the Massachusetts state police. The training was 13 weeks, Hayley graduated from training in May 2024 at the top of her class with a 100% on all her tasks.
“I always joke, she had to come to Tufts to get an A plus,” Officer Brandon said.
As an Explosive Ordnance Detection trained dog at Tufts, Hayley has worked at large community events like Spring Fling, the commencement ceremony and matriculation ceremony, sniffing for explosive scents that she has memorized. Hayley also is able to provide her services off campus, including attending high-profile locations like Gillette Stadium and working at major events such as the Boston Marathon. It is easy to tell when Hayley is working, and while it is still fine for students to greet her, Brandon said it’s always best to ask first.
Like Pepper, Hayley also loves taking care of her stuffed toys and being outdoors. She enjoys hiking, paddle boarding and swimming in any puddle she can find. In the mornings, she walks around Ellis Oval. During the rest of the day, she enjoys walking around both the Residential and Academic Quads. She also spends some time in the backseat of a patrol car waiting for any calls that may require her assistance.
“People just really like dogs,” Brandon said. “It’s an access point to the community from Tufts police that you don’t necessarily get with just an officer by themselves. … It’s a more friendly approach to have the dog there.”
Prior to the K9 unit, TUPD mainly interacted with the student body in more formal contexts, curbing the department’s relationship with students. TUPD Executive Director Yolanda Smith’s focus on mental health and initiatives to increase communication between TUPD and the student body is aided by the addition of both Pepper and Hayley.
First-year Izzy O’Neil expressed that students may have varying opinions and experiences with the Police Department.
“Among most of the freshman class, there’s this assumption that all [TUPD] do is interrupt parties and interrupt fun,” O’Neil said. “I think the reality is when a lot of people have to interact with [TUPD], they’re very good experiences.”
The arrival of Pepper and Hayley have allowed TUPD to connect with students in a variety of ways beyond formal or emergency circumstances. The comfort dogs have been featured at many campus events this year. During orientation week, first-year international students were invited to a social with TUPD officers and the comfort dogs.
Marbella Arroyo attended the social with fellow first-year international students. “[Pepper] didn’t seem like most police dogs, she just seemed like a regular puppy,” Arroyo said. “It makes [TUPD] seem more approachable and friendly.”
According to TUPD officers, students have responded positively to the comfort dogs.
“Nearly every day a fellow officer tells me about how students were inquiring about Hayley or Pepper throughout their shifts,” Moschella wrote.
The two dogs have helped students feel more comfortable interacting with police officers in basic interactions, Brandon said.
“I feel like a lot more people are willing to talk to me even just for directions,” she said. “[We’re] starting to just at least have that interaction where there wasn’t necessarily any [before].”
“Sometimes there are things we as people may not be able to do that a dog can do,” Moschella wrote. “Sometimes a dog’s ability to provide companionship without any information at all from the individual is what that person needs.”
