Meet the Mississippi therapy dog who will ‘rufferee’ Georgia, Alabama championship game
He’s been to events and natural disasters in Washington, D.C., Virginia and Tennessee. And now, this “pawramedic” from the Mississippi Coast will be on the sidelines at the college football national championship.
Tucker, a therapy dog who serves American Medical Response paramedics on the Mississippi Coast, left the Coast early Thursday morning for a 13-hour trip to Indianapolis.
Tucker and his handler, AMR Deputy Chief Charles Wise, will serve as “rufferees” at the Puppies at the Playoff event, sponsored by AMR and parent company Global Medical Response.
“The adorable event matches up two teams of cute Labrador puppies who are playing for all the kibbles and cuddles,” said Julia Clarke, director of AMR business development and government relations for Mississippi and Louisiana.
Wise, who decided to drive with Tucker to Indiana, said Tucker will be available at Monday’s matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide for anyone who needs comfort.
Tucker came to AMR in 2018, and Wise led his training to become a certified therapy dog in less than a year.
Day to day, Tucker is with Wise to provide support for paramedics and EMTs who need to unwind after work shifts.
“When people get off the job, off the streets, they just come in looking for Tucker,” Wise said. “Since we’ve had Tucker in operations, I’ve seen a difference (in employee morale).”
Tucker is also deployed to scenes of natural disasters as needed. Wise said he was supposed to help Louisiana victims after Hurricane Ida last year, but another dog went because Wise was sick.
Tucker was the first dog certified as an AMR therapy dog in less than a year, Wise said.
This story was originally published January 6, 2022 at 11:03 AM.
