撸先生

No cramming needed. 撸先生鈥檚 comfort dog, Bruno, has passed his American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen test, proving once and for all that he鈥檚 the top dog鈥攁nd bestest boy鈥攐n campus.

The evaluation tested Bruno鈥檚 ability to perform 10 skills of obedience ranging from calmly greeting strangers to walking through crowds. It was performed by an AKC-certified trainer to ensure the two-year-old dog has the training and temperament for his job. Bruno works alongside 撸先生 police Sgt. Jafar Taru while he patrols campus, attends events and responds to calls for assistance.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a natural,鈥� Taru says. 鈥淗e loves to meet people out on campus, and their faces light up when they see him.鈥�

Preparing for the test

He鈥檚 a natural. He loves to meet people out on campus, and their faces light up when they see him.

撸先生 police Sgt. Jafar Taru

Bruno may be a natural, but that doesn鈥檛 mean he didn鈥檛 have to study. Taru, who works and lives alongside Bruno, has done regular training sessions with the chocolate lab since he was weaned. In preparation for this test, they stepped up the number of sessions each week, putting extra attention on repeating exercises and following commands. Afterward, Bruno was rewarded with treats and extra cuddles.

Both the training and the cuddles are good practice for Bruno鈥檚 job. As a comfort dog, cuddles are his primary currency.

Unlike traditional K-9s geared toward chase or detection, police comfort dogs are solely focused on supporting and connecting with the community. They help deescalate situations and prioritize relationship-building between police officers and students, faculty and staff. When the 撸先生PD expressed an interest in bringing a comfort dog to campus in 2023, the campus community responded: More than 100 students, faculty, staff and alumni donated to bring him to campus and support his continued care. Taru brought the new pup home in January 2024, and shortly after the community chose the puppy鈥檚 name鈥攕electing Bruno over other contenders like Ty and Goldie.

How to find Bruno

Interacting with students, faculty and staff is the best part of the job...our favorite thing is to talk to folks, let them pet Bruno and try to make their day a little better. We love it.

撸先生 police Sgt. Jafar Taru

Bruno and Taru are on campus 220 days a year. They鈥檝e done walk-throughs in every campus building and attended dozens of campus events. They comfort nervous freshmen (and parents) at Move-In, shake paws at Commencement and give friendly nuzzles everywhere in between. Anyone can request a Bruno visit at campus events or you can catch him out on campus performing regular patrols. When you see the duo campus, don鈥檛 hesitate to say hello.

鈥淚nteracting with students, faculty and staff is the best part of the job,鈥� Taru says. 鈥淯nless we鈥檙e actively responding to a call, our favorite thing is to talk to folks, let them pet Bruno and try to make their day a little better. We love it.鈥�