Certified Crisis Dog Chaos Joins Sagadahoc Emergency Response Team

On December 9, 2025 Sagadahoc County Emergency Management formally welcomed Chaos, a one year old golden retriever, as the county's crisis response canine. Chaos completed crisis response training with Crisis Canines of the Midlands and is described as Maine's only certified Crisis Response Canine. Handler Philip Davis said Chaos is trained to “work the room” during high stress incidents, visiting individuals, sensing elevated stress via body language and scent, and helping emergency teams identify people who may need immediate emotional or mental health support.

Since certification in early October 2025, Davis reports Chaos has been deployed more than 15 times and has engaged with thousands of people at incidents including school responses, fires, vaccine clinics, and scenes involving suicidal persons. Those deployments have placed Chaos alongside traditional emergency personnel, offering brief interventions that aim to lower anxiety and help stabilize people so first responders can focus on urgent physical safety and logistical tasks.

The addition of a certified canine has practical implications for residents across Sagadahoc County. In small communities, where first responders balance limited manpower and a wide range of calls, a trained comfort animal can speed emotional triage and reduce the immediate need for longer term mental health transport in some situations. For families, school staff, and organizers of public health events, the presence of a crisis response dog can ease crowd stress and make stressful scenes more manageable.

The program also serves emergency personnel. Responders often face traumatic scenes and the presence of a trained dog can provide a moment of relief for crews between calls. Handler training and canine certification are central to ensuring both human and animal welfare during deployments.

As Chaos continues to work alongside county teams, officials plan to monitor outcomes and community response. The program aims to integrate emotional support into emergency care while maintaining safety and respect for both residents and the canine partner.