Pensacola therapy dog who helped kids cope with abuse died on Christmas

A calming presence known to many in Pensacola has passed away.

Trooper, a 12-year-old Shetland sheepdog who for years befriended and comforted abused children at the Gulf Coast Kid's House, passed away on Christmas.

Trooper's job had been to approach children at the darkest moments in their young lives, soothe them and sometimes even bring out a smile.

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The sheepdog worked eight hours a day at the Kid's House from about 2015 until his recent retirement prior to his death.

"He was the most patient dog and just very chill. He spent a lot of time either in the lobby or the medical exam rooms," said Stacey Kostevicki, executive director of the Kid's House.

"After nurses took a child’s heartbeat, they would let the kids listen to Trooper's heart, and he was just," Kostevicki continued before taking a brief pause to gather her thoughts. "... patient. He was just such a patient dog for the kids."

Trooper's owner, Tip McAlpin, is a member emeritus of the Kid's House board of directors. He remembers many of the moments when he was permitted to watch Trooper in action.

"I remember one time, there a 12 or 13-year-old little girl who had been abused," McAlpin recalled. He said the young teenager anxiously arrived at the Kid's House a few minutes after the doctor scheduled to give her an exam stepped out for lunch.

Despite her apprehension, the girl had waited an entire hour for the doctor's return.

"She got to meet Trooper before the doctor got back to do the exam, and she made friends with Trooper and asked if he could come into the exam room with her," McAlpin said. "They put Trooper up on the exam table with the little girl, and it calmed her down. The doctor said so. She was so calm and relaxed."

Before Trooper arrived the Gulf Coast Kid's House, staff members had wanted a therapy dog for a long time.

"There are some studies that show that even if a child is in a medical exam, if they are holding onto that dog's leash, it gives them that — not an illusion of control — but it makes them feel like they are more in control on their situation," Kostevicki said.

But while therapy dogs are useful, they can also be expensive, costing upwards of $25,000, according to McAlpin.

"We had applied for grants though Impact 100, etc., and were not successful," Kostevicki said. "So Tip (McAlpin), who was a board member at the time, said that Trooper needed a day job and worked with a local trainer to get him certified as a therapy job."

Trooper completed a 12-week program with the Service Dog University, a local nonprofit that trains service animals for people with disabilities. He learned the basics of becoming a therapy dog and even how to appropriately maneuver himself around the Kid's Center off-leash.

"We knew that he would be in a variety of situations, like the lobby or the medical exam room or therapy, and those are all highly confidential areas and he would have to be able to operate independently," Kostevicki said.

Trooper was a success at his new job from the get-go.

"He was very chill," Kostevicki said. "He only got excited first thing in the morning. He would run in and nose dive on the carpet, and you could get him to do zoomies for just a minute. But then, the rest of the day, he was calm."

In fact, Trooper was so successful that he ended up often being called upon to comfort more people at the Kid's House than just its patients.

Every two weeks, Kid's House staff members and outside experts meet together to perform case reviews of some of the most difficult cases, sometimes involving frequent offenders, Kostevicki said.

"They can be stressful. Obviously the cases are difficult already, but then you have multiple disciplines in the room that don't see eye to eye," she said. "And Trooper was great for just walking in there. The stress would just lift, and people would looking under the table and shaking his hands for him to come over there to pet a little bit."

Kid's House staff remember Trooper

Kostevicki was far from the only Kid's House staff member who has fond memories of Trooper.

Stephanie McBride, a child protection team case coordinator, wrote in an email to the News Journal that she often referred to Trooper as "my favorite coworker."

Taylor Steurer, a former Gulf Coast Kid's House investigator, wrote in an email that Trooper was not only gentle, but also loving.

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"I was a child protective investigator at the time of getting to know him and really in need of that presence at times, which he always delivered. Just seeing him come down the DCF hallway and stop or lay down to be near you made a difference and reminded you of loyalty, love, hope and happiness!" Steurer wrote. "He brought so much joy and positivity that we in turn got to share with the children and families we serve."

Barbie Valletto, child protection team 1-A clinical coordinator, said Trooper could almost sense when people were in need of his comfort.

"I loved seeing him mosey down the hall where my office and the medical exam room area," she wrote. "It seemed like he could sense if I was having a rough day; he would just come and sit down by my desk and let me pet him."

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at [email protected] or 850-435-8680.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Gulf Coast Kid's House therapy dog Trooper died on Christmas 2021