Canines have always been known to be a loyal species to humans. Their loyalty and intelligence make them the perfect candidate to become part of one of the countrys largest forces of authority.

Fullerton Police Department is home to K-9 Officer Nubbin. At just three years old, Nubbin is the first and only K-9 at the police department and holds some of the most important responsibilities a dog could wield.

According to Kristy Wells, Community Liaison Officer, Nubbin joined the team in November 2019. Wells is also the Facility Dog Handler, which makes her and Nubbin a package deal.

Nubbin and her litter were bred by the owners of Canine Companions for Independence. This company breeds its own dogs and sends them off to a volunteer puppy raiser. There they are trained to do basic commands and placed in many different social settings to try to desensitize them to any public fear responses.

After spending around 22 months with the puppy raiser, the puppies are then moved up to what is known as “doggy college” for six to nine months, where they are trained to do more advanced commands like tugging, turning lights on and off, and overall strengthening their basic commands. The ultimate goal of the advanced training is to make the puppies into the strongest and most helpful service animals possible.

After Nubbin’s graduation, she was assigned to the Fullerton Police Department. She is most utilized there for peer support and therapeutic purposes. She mainly serves to provide comfort and support to any victims and communities that have gone through traumatic events.

The first event Nubbin attended to offer her support was at Saugus High School’s candlelight vigil in Santa Clarita last year. Attendees were able to hold Nubbin and find comfort in her embrace.

“I was nervous because it was our first ever thing after we graduated, but it turned out to be really good,” Wells said. “She basically just got to walk around, and people would kind of love on her and hug her, and some of them even cried on her.”

One of the next areas Nubbin and Wells plan to visit is Los Angeles, where the Bobcat fire is burning, to provide some comfort to the first responders there as well as locals who may have been affected.

When Nubbin isn’t performing her civic duties, she enjoys cuddling the officers at the police department and offering them support in times of high stress. She loves to play but absolutely despises swimming, according to Wells.

Nubbin is currently still owned by Canine Companions for Independence, but Wells looks forward to when her companions working time is up in about nine years.

“Once she becomes of retirement age, I get first dibs, if you want to call it, to keep her,” Wells explains. “And of course I will because she’s just too cute and she’s such a good dog.”

You can visit Nubbin’s Instagram @k9nubbin for more photos and information.