Officer Carson reports for duty at 7 a.m., ready to spread comfort and joy. He’s been on the job for a little more than a week. 

“Last week I was walking around and I would hear, ‘It’s a dog,’” Campus Safety Officer John O’Reilly, who goes by J.B., said on Monday, February 16. “Now I'm walking around and I hear, ‘It’s Carson!’” 

J.B. and Carson have been together for five years. Carson was trained as a service dog by Canine Companions to help people with disabilities. J.B. said he was good at that, but it became clear that Carson just loved being around a lot of people. So he became J.B.’s partner as a facility dog at the University of Connecticut in the community outreach division, where Carson’s Instagram had about 10,000 followers. 

Carson is approachable, in more ways than one. At Loomis Chaffee, he has his own email: carson@loomis.org. As time goes on, Carson will be showing up at more and more campus events as his role gets refined. J.B. said he and Carson would enjoy being a part of anything that students, staff or faculty think Carson can enhance.  

J.B. recently retired from state service after 20 years, the final seven at UConn after having been an officer with the Connecticut State Capitol police. He wasn’t ready to retire, and neither was Carson. “I knew he wasn’t close to being done,” John said.  

J.B. had prepared a cover letter and resume as he tried to figure out what the next possibility could be for him and Carson. He wanted to continue working with Carson but not as a police officer. John said he was about ready to ship off a cover letter and resume to Loomis Chaffee when he noticed there was an opening in Campus Safety. Mike Begley, the director of Campus Safety and a former police officer, was intrigued with the thought of having not only John on staff, but also his buddy Carson.  

“I thought it could be a good fit,” Mike said, “bringing a different dynamic to the department and benefiting the students.” 

“Everything just fell into place,” J.B. said, “with my retirement at the end of January and this position being the beginning of February. I was going to come either way, but having Carson be a part of it, I get to go to work every day with my best buddy. I give a lot of credit to Mike for making it work. The timing of this happening, my wife and I were talking about it, and she said, ‘It is too perfect not to be what you should be doing.’ There is no way this could have fallen in place like it did if it weren’t meant to be. I feel like this is where Carson and I should be at this point in our lives.” 

J.B. said that when he and Carson arrive to work, they check in with their fellow officers. “The work is community outreach,” J.B. said, “but I also like to think of it as community in-reach, if Carson can make their day better.” 

Carson’s mom is a golden retriever. His dad is half yellow Labrador and half black Labrador. “He was the only black puppy in the litter,” J.B. said, “so he’s been special since Day 1.” At 7 years old, Carson should have a few more years of duty before retiring. When the dog becomes less engaged, that tends to be a signal. 

But for now Carson is ready to spread the love far and wide. Petting a dog has long been viewed in scientific terms as elevating oxytocin and dopamine, known as “feel good” hormones, and reducing stress. 

“Dogs,” said J.B., “love unconditionally, and they don’t judge. They are just there for you.” 

People should be kind to each other, care for one another, J.B. said, but “sometimes things get in the way of that … No biases are ever getting in the way for Carson. He’s just going to do what he does. Bring kindness, love, happiness.” 

Carson has his spot in the Campus Safety office. And he has some Loomis Chaffee merch, ranging from a bandana to a stuffed Pelican he enjoys carrying around. 

“He is here for everybody,” J.B. said. “He is not just my dog. I know that students miss their pets from home, so I want people to think of Carson as their pet when he’s here. He is well trained and wants to be a part of everyone’s life. At UConn it was such a rewarding experience to see how much people enjoyed him.”  

At the end of a long day, Carson heads home with J.B., sheds his Canine Companions vest and, said J.B., “He’s a normal goofy pet who loves to be up on the couch.”