Meet Tesla – The K9 Making a Difference with Those She Serves!
K-9 Tesla is a public safety therapy dog with the Lake Country Fire and Rescue department. LCFR is a consolidated fire department which provides fire and paramedic services to the City of Delafield, Town of Delafield, Village of Wales, Town of Genesee, Village of Oconomowoc Lake, Chenequa, and Nashotah.
She and her handler, Assistant Chief Matt Haerter, were the first in the area to have undergone years of training to be able to provide their colleagues and community with a service dog. Having a sworn public safety officer with therapy K9 partner is unique to our area and offers another level of access to the benefits other teams can’t offer. Tesla is completely funded by Haerter personally with no taxpayer money used for the program.
About Tesla
“Tesla is essentially the manifestation of a promise for us as a department to make sure that we take care of our people and the people we’re charged to serve,” Assistant Chief Haerter said. “She is a focus of mental health.”
A Labrador Retriever, Tesla comes from a family bloodline of service dogs. Despite her ‘professionalism’ while on the job, she’s a dog at heart, enjoying her share of treats, games of fetch, and dock jumping into lakes.
“She’s been treated like a princess ever since she was brought into our home and now, she’s co-queen with my wife,” said Haerter. “She has a good gig and I often say she’s never had a bad day in her life, and I really don’t think she has.”
While she may not have bad days, she’s able to assist those who are, whether it’s a first responder decompressing following a tough call, or a member of the community looking for comfort and support.
“Both in the emergency and non-emergency setting, she has done a vast amount of work,” Haerter explained. “The calls that she has been at that have involved great property loss or death, when it’s appropriate, we introduce that as an option. Much like you say ‘Is there somebody that we can call? Is there a company we need to notify for you? Can we help you with insurance? Would you like to talk with our chaplain, or would you like to see a therapy dog?’ That immediate need as far as that thing that’s going to make people feel better right now is usually the dog.”
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
K-9 Tesla is a service dog with the Lake Country Fire and Rescue department. She lives with her handler Assistant Chief Matthew Haerter and his family in the area.
Q: How did you get started?
First, thank you so much for taking time to talk with me! While I am really good at “speaking” when I am supposed to, it’s hard for me to talk when my dad is around because then he will know I can, so this is just between us ok? I got started with making people feel better when I was about a year old. My dad and I did a lot of training together at many schools. I didn’t start official work though until 2019 when I completed my different registries and certifications.
My dad talked with the psychologist involved with the therapy program at Walter Reed Hosptial after he knew of their successful program. He found out that when he had this conversation, there wasn’t any public safety program known of yet. That’s when he got to work to bring it from concept to reality.
Q: What are the requirements to become a therapy dog?
The term therapy dog is a very broad one and many times isn’t used correctly. To truly be a therapy dog, puppies have to be able to pass tests from their certifying agencies. I hold certifications through the AKC and Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Both of these were tested certifications and are necessary to hold the title for what I do. Specific places have different requirements so I have many specialty certifications.
All of this said, there is so much more training and work needed to be really good at being a therapy dog. I have people around me who are very emotional. They can be sad, angry, scared, and sometimes not act how I would expect so I have to be able to completely contain my reactions and not respond in any way. My dad knows all of my little looks I give him, and I know he watches over me and moves me if I need to step away from the situation.
Q: How do you train to become a therapy dog?
Constantly. I work on many things that most dogs don’t find easy or natural. For instance, I know who is emotional then go to them. I will circle in front of them and sit with my back facing them. That can be very scary for most dogs because it makes me vulnerable. If my dad starts a conversation and can’t focus on me, I sit on squares, search out strangers, will stay in one spot, can never pull on a leash, and can’t react no matter what someone does to me physically or verbally.
All of these talents need to be practiced and have taken years to be really good at and it’s all worth it because I get to help people at the fire department and also on my off days! I work continuously with my dad and have an amazing trainer who is just the best ever.
Q: What’s the best part of your job?
The best part about my job is absolutely being able to prevent problems for my people and make them feel a little better when they do happen. I get a lot of pets at the fire houses. When my friends come back from a stressful call, I get even more. It has let me be part of some really important conversations to get people the help they need.
Q: What’s different about you from other therapy dogs?
The majority of therapy dogs are from the civilian world. We have always been part of the fire service with my dad being a firefighter for over 30 years. Anywhere we go for any reason we’re able to relate with civilian victims or the fire, EMS, and police who have worked at the incident. We also personally understand the stressors of public safety work. Not everyone can do that.
Q: How would you rate your handler?
We get along really well. He always is bringing me places where people are happy to see me, so I like that. I even get some special treats when I do good things. He drives kind of slow which isn’t very exciting and is always talking about “safety”. I don’t know if that’s another dog or what, but it gets pretty annoying once in a while.
Tesla & Our Community
Tesla provides so many benefits to our community:
She helps to promote positive interactions between community members and rescue workers. Often seen as friendly and approachable, her presence can help to foster a positive relationship between the rescue workers and our community.
Tesla helps reduce anxiety and stress levels with community members who may be experiencing stressful situations or going through difficult times. Her calming presence can provide comfort and support to those in need.
She helps enhance socialization within our community, especially among elderly or isolated individuals. Her presence provides an opportunity for people to socialize and connect with others.
If you ever owned a dog, you know that walking and playing with one can promote physical activity. This is important for maintaining good physical and mental health.
For Fun
Q: Where is your favorite place to get Pup Cups?
Q: What’s the best part of your job?
Seeing all the smiles I get; plus, all the love & pets I get.
Q: Why do you think your dad might think twice about being your handler?
He really seems to smile a lot with me around, so I think he loves me a lot.
Q: Which do you prefer: Hard playing after rolling at high speed or a regal and relaxed approach?
I really love my life! I run at least 3 miles every day and in the good weather we do a lot of swimming. Sleeping on the furniture is another one of my specialties. I rotate around the house to have a good view of what’s going on.
Interested in Supporting Mental Health?
If you’re interested in supporting the mental health aspects of LCFR, which includes psychologists, peer support training and more, donations can be sent to the department but have to be clearly noted that they are for this purpose on the check:
Lake Country Fire & Rescue Mental Health Account
Where to Find Tesla
Tesla is available to all area public safety agencies. She’s done hundreds of visits, critical incidents, public safety funerals, and private family comforting. LCFR believes in taking care of the entire community and if Tesla can benefit you, please reach-out so we can help.
For more information on LCFR, please go to https://www.lakecountryfire.com/
For more information on Tesla, please email: tesla@lakecountryfire.com
or call or text Matthew Haerter at 262.281.6451
“It’s so incredible how she does and the level at which she performs on a daily basis when it really matters,” Haerter said.
“I wish I could be that good all the time.”
