When a fire-related fatality in February 2019 resulted in more than one Sublimity Fire District volunteer hanging up their uniform, career firefighter Amber Cross decided she had to do something to help.
“If we don’t have volunteers we aren’t going to be able to help our community,” Cross – an emergency medical responder and community outreach educator with the district for the past 15 years – said. Volunteer retention is paramount for districts whose workforce is composed of at least 70 percent volunteers.
But being a volunteer herself, Cross also recognizes the difficulties that are inherent in the job, which can take not just a physical toll, but an emotional one as well.
“We don’t like to talk about our feelings,” Cross said, referring to a characteristic she has noted amongst her fellow volunteers. “But after you go out on a tough call, it’s like one more rock in your backpack.”
And those “rocks” add up, leading to stress, anxiety and – if unchecked – mental health issues including post-traumatic stress disorder and even suicide.
“We’ll lose more first responders to suicide than in the line of duty,” Cross said, quoting national statistics that list fire fighters as ten times more likely to die from suicide than other adults.
And so, with those numbers in mind, Cross began researching ways to help her fellow volunteers reduce on the job stress. What she discovered was comfort canines.
“I’ve always wanted a dog,” Cross laughed. “So, I convinced my husband I needed a puppy.”
As luck would have it, her friend’s golden retriever, Daisy, had also recently given birth to a litter of pups.
“There was one we were watching,” she recalled. “He had to be resuscitated when he was born, bottle-fed and coddled. They nicknamed him Survivor.”
Instantly taken with the dog and his story, Cross took him to the station to meet Sublimity Fire District’s Chief Alan Hume.
“He was like, we don’t have anything to lose,” Cross recalled.
And just like that, the puppy – which Cross renamed Probie, in reference to the nickname for a probationary firefighter – became a part of the team.
“He really integrated,” Cross said. “He goes to trainings and service calls. He knows the alert noise and loads up in the car. He has a crate so he’s there waiting for us.”
The first puppy to become a certified First Responder Therapy Dog in the state of Oregon, Probie hit the ground running, initially supporting first responders during the COVID pandemic, then helping wildland firefighters on-site during the Beachie Creek Fire.
“Even the toughest hot shots were melting,” Cross recalled. “That was his debut.”
As to why therapy dogs like Probie are helpful to first responders dealing with stress, Cross explained that the benefits of petting and interacting with a dog can lower both heart rate and blood pressure and encourage open discussion.
“It’s just helping bring a little normalcy back…” Cross said, “a tool in the toolbox.”
Encouraged by the success witnessed during Probie’s first four years in service, Cross decided it was time to add a second dog.
“I had to convince my husband,” Cross said. “But he’s a lieutenant.”
And Daisy, as it happens, had just given birth to another litter of pups.
“In May 2023 we added Barney,” Cross said.
At just ten weeks he began serving alongside his brother, passing his AKC Canine Good Citizen test and becoming the youngest First Responder Therapy Dog in the country.
“Each one brings something different,” Cross said of the team. “Probie is intentional and Barney is happy go-lucky. It’s been a fun balance.”
Role models to first responder therapy dogs across Oregon – which is now home to 12 certified teams – and across the country – where 240 teams can be found in 38 states – Probie and Barney recently gained the attention of an organization closer to home when they received the Distinguished Citizens Medal from the Stayton’s Abigail Scott Duniway chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
“Abigail Scott Duniway chapter members, like our local communities, are so proud of what Amber and ‘the Boys’ have done in support of our local firefighters and partner public safety agencies, law enforcement and First Responders throughout the state,” DAR Director Linda Banister said. “It’s an extraordinary program and so deserving of recognition in every form.”
And so, on Feb. 14, 2024, Linda and two fellow DAR representatives attended a fire district board meeting to present Cross and her dogs with the award.
“I was very surprised,” Cross said. “But it’s great to have the boys recognized.”
