The life of a shelter dog can sometimes be isolating and lonely. But a Green Bay police officer is giving some the opportunity to get out on the town - and hopefully find a "furever" home.
Starting in the spring of 2016, Officer Joel Zwicky began taking dogs from the Bay Area Humane Society out with him during his patrols. With two shelter dogs of his own, Officer Zwicky wanted people who may not get a chance to go to the humane society to see how great the dogs are.
"It's good for [people] to see how well-behaved they are and how 'lovey' they are," said Officer Zwicky.
The goal is to not only give the dogs exposure, but help out Officer Zwicky as well.
"These dogs give as much to me as I give to them I think," Officer Zwicky said. "This can be a tough job. A lot of times you only get out of the car to deal with difficult situations and hard people, and it's nice to come back to the car with one of these guys."
The humane society chooses dogs they think would be a good fit to send out with Officer Zwicky. Of the 8 dogs he took out in his first round, five got adopted within the month.
"A lot of people that didn't even know about them down there, maybe wouldn't get down to the humane society, are seeing them and now calling and adopting," said Officer Zwicky.
Officer Zwicky also said Police Chief Andrew Smith is considering turning a shelter dog into a K-9 officer if the department can find the right fit.
