With his smooth black coat, white soul patch goatee and mohawk, Sgt. Bo waited patiently for the students to arrive with his head tucked between his paws on the floor of Nashville’s Dodson Elementary School.
At nearly three-years-old, the dog has the look of a grizzled police veteran down pat, his dark coat highlighted with white and light tan strips, but get him around some kids, and it’s a different story.
Sgt. Bo works for the Metro Nashville Police Department as a therapy dog, visiting the city’s public schools and offering students and staff a caring shoulder to lean — or sometimes cry — on. He’s one of the most valuable tools the department has when it comes to tackling the ongoing mental health crisis, officials said.
for mental health issues, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit that promotes mental health and illness prevention.
COVID-19 was especially challenging for young people, ages 12-17, with 16.39% of those experiencing a major depressive episode, the nonprofit reports, noting that Tennessee’s percentage is slightly higher at 17.32%, according to a 2023 study.