Tulane University Police Department has a new police officer, Max the dog. Max is a two-year-old chocolate lab who will serve students in two ways: therapy and bomb-sniffing. 

“This is our first in-house dog,” Officer Vincent Silva, Max’s handler, said. In the past, TUPD would bring in agencies’ dogs for bomb searches.

TUPD acquiring a dog like Max has been in the works for a while. Lieutenant Anthony Dominguez said that the department started thinking of adding a therapy dog after hearing that Yale University had recently gotten one. He then assigned a lieutenant to begin researching the benefits of having one, and the types of dogs that would best fit Tulane. After researching, Dominguez said it was a  “no brainer.” 

“This is something that’s going to benefit everybody in the community,” he said. 

Silva and the police department want the student body to feel comfortable approaching Max because he is here to help, they said. 

“He’s here for them,” Silva said. “You know, I tell everybody, if you are having a bad day … any kind of negativity, any kind of stress, call us. We will bring him out. Animals change the atmosphere.” 

Max has been featured at different events such as orientation and football games, for students to know who he is and learn how he can help. 

TUPD expressed excitement about Max and said that his popularity in his first year on the staff has exceeded expectations.  “We knew it was going to be popular … but he’s taken off more than we thought,” Deputy Chief Frank Young said. 

Max can be found on Instagram at @ofcmax_tupd. He has also been featured on TUPD’s Instagram page and President Mike Fitts’ instagram as well. Look for him at football games, campus events or just walking around with Silva.